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Two queueing theorists of Ghent University investigated why queues at restrooms are invariably longer for ladies than for men. Time and time again. What are the main causes for this disparity? And how can it be overcome? Moving to unisex toilets, it appears from this study, may reduce waiting times for women from over 6 minutes to less than a minute and a half. Already a symbol for transgender equality, unisex toilets can hence boast excellent figures when it comes to reducing waiting times. Or, how transgender-friendliness may help in battling female-unfriendly toilet culture.
It turns out there are three main causes for the difference in waiting time between men and women. A first factor explaining why women wait longer is that the net number of toilets for women is smaller than that for men. This is because the total surface area is often divided equally while a toilet cabin inevitably takes up more space than a urinal. Overall, an average toilet area can accommodate 20 to 30 percent more toilets for men (urinals + cabins) than for women.
A second reason is that according to scientific studies women spend one and a half up to two times as long on the toilet. The reasons are mostly practical. In contrast to a urinal, a door must be opened and closed twice, a toilet seat needs cleaning, and more and more difficult clothes have to be taken off and on. This results in an average time spent at the toilet of 1 minute for men and 1 minute and 30 seconds for women.
A third factor is the overall activity at the restroom. As long as it's not too busy, the overall effect of ladies having a smaller number of toilets and spending more time on those toilets does not lead to long queues. However when for example everybody heads home, more women arrive at the toilets than the system can handle. This condition amplifies the above effects and results in outrageous waiting times for women.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2017-07-lengths-restroom.html
(Score: 3, Touché) by slinches on Monday July 17 2017, @07:11PM (8 children)
It sounds like the best solution from a queuing theory standpoint would be to have two separate "unisex" restrooms, one for urinals and one for stalls. Although, I doubt many women or men would prefer that arrangement for obvious reasons.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 17 2017, @07:16PM
Let's test your hypothesis by clogging every toilet in the mens room. I can start the experiment since I just ate Thai food with copious amounts of hot sauce. Ready to evacuate bowels.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by istartedi on Monday July 17 2017, @09:20PM (6 children)
That was my first thought. Co-ed stall-only works fine too. I've been to one restaurant that had them. The one I was in had walls on each stall that went from floor to ceiling. I've heard this is more common outside the US. I bet hand-washing is better with co-ed sinks too. People don't want a potential mate to see them not washing.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Thexalon on Monday July 17 2017, @09:32PM
I should also point out that that would completely end controversies over which bathroom transgendered people can or should use.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 4, Informative) by edIII on Monday July 17 2017, @10:05PM (4 children)
I live in California, and at the moment the gender designations don't mean jack diddly shit. I'm fairly uncomfortable going into the ladies room, but it really makes no difference anymore. I see tons of guys going into the ladies rooms now, and I see women going into the men's room instead of queuing up. The few times I've been in the ladies room surprised me in that it is no cleaner or dirtier than the men's room. It was just a normal bathroom.
The reality here is that co-ed bathrooms have become the defacto norm and you can completely ignore the gender assignments, but not the disabled signs. People are figuring it out.
What's funny is that I've lived in other states like Texas where going into the ladies room can get you shot. It doesn't matter how bad you needed to pee, it's better that you go outside and piss in the bushes (like a man). Was with a friend from Northern California and they figured out that Texas was different *real* fast when the owner called the cops on us. For going to the bathroom in the ladies when the men's had an out of order sign on it.
Anyhoo, any bathroom in California is a bathroom for anyone in California. So there is a LOT of testing going in my state right now across all types of bathrooms.
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 18 2017, @12:11AM (1 child)
Any danger to be accused of pedophile type stalking? Just curious what would happen if a Texas 13 years old girl screams rape in a California toilet....
(Score: 2) by driverless on Tuesday July 18 2017, @08:38AM
In Texas, no-one can hear you scream in California.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday July 18 2017, @12:18AM
You don't live in the same California as me, I guess.
While guys will acknowledge a girl going into the guys' bathrooms because of a long line, I have never seen a guy walk into a women's bathroom in CA, unless it was a single stall and the only men's bathroom was explicitly out of order.
Unisex is the answer. But not in the "one room one toilet" sense, which takes too much spaces and causes lines for lack of enough total toilets.
Americans just need to learn to build enclosed stalls (alluded to elsewhere), rather than leave those creepy gaps which do indeed make women want to only be with people carrying the same genitals. I'm pretty sure everyone can share sinks...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 18 2017, @05:00AM
What Super Bob said. If you live in Gay Bay, where all the activists make a lot of noise, that's one Cali. LA and it's surrounds is another Cali. Northern Cal is another matter entirely.