You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby!

Another blow for feminism!

If the media gets a hold of this it will be spun as another indication of men holding women down. Potty parity, don’t you know? This is not a design problem. I have another theory. 

I think my observations are valid. It starts with the belief that behavior is generally consistent. This consistency appears across a wide spectrum of behavior. In the normal course of events, a person will stay true to form. Based on a pattern of observed behavior it is possible to predict a response to a previously unobserved behavior. I am not talking about a response triggered by fight or flight, just everyday mundane events.

For example, in a crowded parking lot, a man and a woman get into their cars (two cars) at the same time. Which parking space will open up first? This is a no brainer. Twenty seconds after entering the car, they guy is gone. A minute later the woman is still there. Both are carrying out the same act, backing a car out of a parking space. Invariably the male is on his way first.

Much the same dynamic happens in bathrooms. Guys may be in a group in a bar. When it comes time to hit the bathroom, it is generally a solo trip. Once there, a guy does his business and leaves. Interaction with fellow inhabitants is limited to a grunt or one word replies to one sentence questions. “How you doing?” “Good.” 

This same scenario plays out differently with women. When they head to the bathroom it is in pairs. The time they take seems to be double what men experience. Based on conversations I have been privy to, it is not unusual for conversations to be struck up. “I ran into Suzy Creamcheese, haven’t seen her since high school. She said…”

My favorite, a complaint overheard in a women’s restroom during an off campus party: “Miles and miles of dick out there and I can’t get six inches.”

Here is the fundamental difference between men and women. When a man goes to the bathroom it is to address a need. When women go to the bathroom it is a social event. How many men’s rooms have you seen equipped with a couch?

The problem is not patriarchy, an attempt to keep women down by not providing adequate toilet facilities. The problem is that women don’t know how to piss in public. Keep the main thing the main thing. One can only hope that the woman pictured will share her experience with the sisters. It would be a first step in relieving bathroom gridlock.