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🇦🇹 Austria /Culture & Society

Architect: “The Way Toilets Are Designed Ignores Women’s Realities”

From Der Standard · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Interview Named sources Ongoing story
  • German architect Katrin Hartmann says public and workplace toilets often fail to reflect women’s needs, including menstruation, pregnancy and childcare.
  • She argues that women should generally have access to more toilets than men and require larger facilities with sinks inside stalls.
  • The issue has also emerged in Vienna, where a woman is suing the city over a 50-cent charge for some public women’s toilets while men can use urinals for free.

The design of public toilets often overlooks the realities of women’s lives, according to German architect Katrin Hartmann. Menstruation, pregnancy and childcare mean women need more toilets, more space and sinks inside the stalls.

Hartmann, who works on gender-sensitive construction, says women should generally have access to more toilets than men. She argues that public and office facilities are often planned primarily around male users, leaving them poorly suited to women’s everyday needs.

The question is not limited to design. A woman in Vienna is suing the city because women must pay 50 cents to use some public toilets, while men can urinate for free in urinals. The city is now examining whether those facilities should be free to use.

The way toilets are planned ignores women’s realities.

· Katrin HartmannThe architect criticized toilet design for failing to account for women’s needs.
About this summary

Originally published by Der Standard in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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