108 Building Toilets
Someone must clean the toilet
No one likes to clean the toilet. But someone
has to do it.
Often, the job of planning, building, and
fixing toilets is considered men’s work or work
for specialists. The less pleasant and more
constant task of cleaning toilets often falls to
women or people of lower social classes. It is
unfair if tasks that are unpleasant always fall
to women and poor people who usually do not
make the decisions in the first place.
Sharing unpleasant tasks is a way to make
sure the work gets done, though it often creates
social conflicts.
Women and Men Have Different Needs
Women and men have different needs and customs when it comes to using
the toilet. Men may be more comfortable than women relieving themselves in
public or in open spaces. A lack of safe,
private toilets makes it more difficult for
women to participate in community life.
It is generally easier for men to relieve themselves than it is for women.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012