Why are gender-neutral public toilets in Shanghai so embarrassing?

Shanghai’s first “gender-neutral public toilet” encountered an embarrassment. The reporter learned that in the past four months since it was put into use, the cumulative number of toilet visits has been about 4,100, with an average of less than 40 visits per day. Some citizens said that the low usage rate may be related to low awareness and remote installation points. However, relevant departments in Shanghai stated that "gender-neutral public toilets" are more of a supplement to existing public toilets. There is currently no specific timetable for expansion and will be determined based on public acceptance.

At noon yesterday, the reporter came to the public green space at the Pudongnan intersection of Zhangjiabang, Pudong, where the first "gender-neutral public toilet" in Shanghai was built. With the bright ceramic tiles on the exterior wall, the anti-slip blanket at the door, and the clean floor, the public toilet in front of you looks more like the supporting facilities of a star-rated hotel. Since there is no gender restriction, all toilet seats here are not marked with "male" or "female". After waiting for about 20 minutes, a young man wearing a safety helmet and overalls walked in. I pushed open the door of a squat toilet and gently pressed the lock. The light above the toilet seat changed from green to red, indicating that someone was using it.

This first "gender-neutral public toilet" in Shanghai adopts the large-passage model, including 10 universal toilet seats that are not restricted by gender. It has been put into use since early November last year. There is a display above it that clearly shows the cumulative usage of this public toilet. As of noon yesterday, the cumulative number of people shown above was 4,147.

It has been in use for nearly 4 months and is open to the public from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. Calculated on a 30-day/month basis, the average daily usage is only 34.5 people. The person in charge of cleaning told reporters that the time period for using the toilet is mainly in the morning. In addition to some nearby citizens who come to the park for a walk, nearly 80 are workers at the construction site next door. "Hey, sometimes they even squat in the toilet." Smoking inside made it dirty."

When this "gender-neutral public toilet" was put into use, the relevant person in charge of the city's City Appearance and Environmental Quality Monitoring Center once said that there were two main reasons why the pilot was chosen in this green space. First, there was a public toilet here before the renovation; second, there is a fitness track in the green space next to the public toilet. There are many citizens coming and going and need to use the toilet. "We don't know whether there are more male or female tourists coming here. Setting up gender-neutral public toilets can adjust the use of toilets according to actual conditions and explore another method to solve the unreasonable ratio of male and female toilet seats."

On the same day, reporters came here to learn about the situation. Compared with the "gender-neutral public toilets" in Pudong, the public toilet in Qiuxiapu is not large in area. It is equipped with a urinal, a toilet, and handrails for the disabled.

Due to its relatively remote location behind a rockery, although there are many guide signs nearby, the usage rate is not high. Several park cleaning staff said: "There are not many people using it."

The relevant person in charge of the Shanghai City Appearance and Environmental Quality Monitoring Center said that the public toilet in Qiuxiapu is not a "gender-neutral public toilet" in the standard sense. , judging from the facility layout, it is actually more like a "third bathroom", which is mainly used to alleviate the embarrassing situation when parents take children of the opposite sex and children take old people of the opposite sex out.

Regarding the embarrassment encountered by "gender-neutral toilets", the person in charge of the Shanghai City Appearance and Environmental Quality Monitoring Center explained that "gender-neutral public toilets" are more of a supplement to existing public toilets. In fact, they are not necessarily It should be built in a place with dense traffic. As for whether the "gender-neutral public toilets" that have taken the previous step will be expanded in the future? The relevant person in charge said that the trial operation situation will be tracked from time to time, and the decision will be made based on the acceptance of the public, combined with the plans for the construction and reconstruction of public toilets in each district and the service groups.

During the interview, the reporter found that citizens are more accepting of the "third bathrooms" that are now appearing in major shopping malls, terminals, and entertainment venues. It is reported that this type of bathroom is more focused on solving the problem of parents and children of the opposite sex using the toilet safely. It is reported that as of the end of last year, 215 "third bathrooms" had been built in Shanghai.