Female shoppers in Suzhou of our very own Jiangsu Province are at loggerheads over a urinal in the women’s toilet of a shopping mall and the removal thereof. For some, it’s the urinal’s removal, not the installation, that has been the cause of the debate.
Reports which emerged on local news media this Monday, 24 April, reveal that the urinal, installed at the end of 2017, had recently been removed after the mall had received a complaint from a female shopper.
The toilet in question is located on the first floor of the Tianhong shopping mall on Xiangcheng Avenue in Suzhou Industrial Park.
The image thereof contained in a report by The Paper clearly shows that the urinal has indeed been removed, leaving behind only its associated wall-mounted fittings, while on either side are the six private stalls of the women’s toilet.
Staff with the mall explained that the urinal was installed in order to facilitate female shoppers needing to take young boys to the toilet.
It should be noted there is also a family bathroom in the same women’s toilet. The door of that particular stall is labelled with a family-of-three icon. This fact, somewhat oddly, has not attracted any kind of attention.
In the controversy that has been sparked following the urinal’s removal, a number of points of view have been brought to the fore.
Some people believe that a urinal for young boys in the women’s toilet offers convenience for mothers. Media has reported a woman in her 60s as saying, “What do children know; what gender consciousness is there at such a young age? There is no problem in them going to the women’s bathroom”.
Others felt reassured by the urinal’s presence, concerned for the safety of young boys were they to go to the men’s toilet by themselves.
But still there are those who believe that the move is neither respectful to women nor takes into account the feelings of children. Local resient, Ms. Wu, said, “As a woman, I really feel offended. There is a difference between men and women; even if the child is young, he should not enter the women’s toilet”.
A man also weighed in on the argument. A Mr. Feng said, “How to monitor the age of boys who go in there? Can I be sure that all children in the women’s toilet are under 5 years old?”.
Then there was the opinion of a Ms. Zeng, a local school teacher, who believes that the design of the toilet is unnecessary. “Little boys may feel shy if they are watched by adult ladies in the toilet. If a young girl sees the genitals of similarly-aged member of the opposite sex, it may misguide their gender cognition”, said Zeng.
From an official standpoint, Wu Zhengyan, Secretary General of the Suzhou Psychological Health Association, expressed the belief that removing the urinal reflects an improvement in public awareness and should be viewed from a progressive perspective.
Wu also pointed out that there are several stages to human sexual psychological development. In early childhood (2 to 6 years old), the young begin to have a preliminary understanding of gender difference, while children will also naturally exhibit curious behaviour.
The Secretary suggested that parents should not neglect sex education for their children on account they are young and should provide personalised-sex education and support according to their individual needs.
