Are you shitting me? : Public toilets as a feminist issue

Women cannot exist in public space without public toilets, yet it can be difficult to find any that feel clean and safe to go to. That is why I propose to build public toilets for women on Renmarkstorget in central Umeå. Public toilets are where gender issues are exemplified in a public space and are therefore very politically charged. If we want to build for gender equality, we need to be conscious of who we are building for, how the space reflects our social values, and have a clear vision. Equal floorspace is often assigned to men’s and women’s toilets. But women need more floor space in toilets, due to menstruation, bringing children, sitting down to pee etc. This leads to longer toilet queues for the ladies’ room, and consequently, women stay shorter periods of time in public or even avoid it. This especially affects girls, elderly women, disabled women, homeless women, mothers, and pregnant women. The solutions include changing building regulations, architects acting on the issue, and of course electing more women on the city council who can speak on this issue from experience. This proposal includes 7 freestanding structural toilet units, a lunchroom, a playground, bicycle parking, and a bus stop. Because what happens outside the toilet is most important. Those activities need to overlap with the needs of women and enable them to feel seen but not exposed or observed and allow them to have control of their environment. Equality is about voice and therefore architects need to be conscious of how physical, virtual, and social environments either encourage, discourage, include, or exclude those voices by design