Long lines at public bathrooms
Nov. 25th, 2007 10:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mysidAt last, the mystery of the ages is solved. "Why do long lines form at women's rooms, but men can just zip in and out of the men's room?"
For years, we've tried to explain it away by discussing clothing. Men's clothes are designed so they can pee while still fully dressed, whereas women need to partially undress to pee. This is indeed a significant reason for men's quicker "pee speed".
Urinal + toilet numbers which are higher than the number of toilets in the women's room have also been a factor in many cases, although that has been rectified in some new construction by better balancing the numbers.
But has anyone been taking sinks into account?
Overheard at a restaurant in which a line had formed for both bathrooms. (The two bathrooms each contained one toilet and had a lock on the door. When a line formed for the women's room, we took over the men's room as well and forced the men to join the line with us.)
Woman in line: Is either one cleaner than the other?
Woman leaving bathroom and whose children had used both: No. They're both pretty dirty.
Man in line: They can't be any worse than the bathrooms at the Linc. (A local pro sports stadium.)
Another man in line: At least no one is peeing in the sinks here.
First man: That's true.
The sinks! And my husband just laughed and nodded in agreement.
And so, the mystery is solved. Women have lines to use the bathroom because we aren't as disgusting. Now, I don't mean to imply that all men are disgusting enough to use sinks as urinals, but even if just a few are, that would explain why the men's room line moves more quickly.
For years, we've tried to explain it away by discussing clothing. Men's clothes are designed so they can pee while still fully dressed, whereas women need to partially undress to pee. This is indeed a significant reason for men's quicker "pee speed".
Urinal + toilet numbers which are higher than the number of toilets in the women's room have also been a factor in many cases, although that has been rectified in some new construction by better balancing the numbers.
But has anyone been taking sinks into account?
Overheard at a restaurant in which a line had formed for both bathrooms. (The two bathrooms each contained one toilet and had a lock on the door. When a line formed for the women's room, we took over the men's room as well and forced the men to join the line with us.)
Woman in line: Is either one cleaner than the other?
Woman leaving bathroom and whose children had used both: No. They're both pretty dirty.
Man in line: They can't be any worse than the bathrooms at the Linc. (A local pro sports stadium.)
Another man in line: At least no one is peeing in the sinks here.
First man: That's true.
The sinks! And my husband just laughed and nodded in agreement.
And so, the mystery is solved. Women have lines to use the bathroom because we aren't as disgusting. Now, I don't mean to imply that all men are disgusting enough to use sinks as urinals, but even if just a few are, that would explain why the men's room line moves more quickly.