Female architects ensure potty parity

The field was dominated by men but now women are coming to the fore with thoughtful buildings

- Ask Ash

Ever wondered why the queue to the women's public toilets is forever stretching around the block while men roll in and out of their facilities with ease? A new line of men begins to form as they wait for their wives, daughters and girlfriends to leave the women's toilets.

I pondered the question of potty parity in real estate while I was quite literally standing in the restroom queue. It is true that women typically take longer in a bathroom setting than men, but this does not alter the question.

It comes down to design bias. Most of these public spaces, where this issue of long wait times for women is encountered, were designed by men. Men who decided that an equal toilet ratio would be suitable for both genders to make use of. It's safe to say that female architects were significantly underrepresented when most of these buildings were designed and built.

The American Institute of Architects has published mountains of demographic data about the architecture industry. I read that in 1970, roughly 1% of registered architects in the United States were women. By 1980, this number grew slightly to about 4%. Many of the buildings and their toilet facilities I referred to above were built during this period.

In terms of the architectural sector in South Africa, a 2019 article states that, according to the South African Institute of Architects in the Eastern Cape, only 21% of registered architectural professionals in the country are women.

This is still extremely low.

Without the female perspective in spatial planning, it's no wonder we are stuck with long restroom queues.