Females taking a detour to the toilet must be frustrated to find themselves at the rear end of a long queue. Whether it’s at the mall, coffee shop or public toilet, these queues can happen everywhere. It doesn’t help when ladies see men use the other room with relative ease, and worse, attempt to taunt an anxious, impatient woman. But there is nothing more embarrassing than pleading to those ahead in the queue to use the cubicle first, to no avail.

In a city where people are trained to form queues and cutting the line is highly frowned upon, waiting for your turn at a female toilet might be the last thing you’d like to comply with. For years, women have suffered this inadequate provision of toilets in Hong Kong. Public toilets, churches, shopping malls or even at tiny McDonald’s cubicles, women share the same experience.  This is not only driven by the lack of facilities but the fact that some women spend a long time in restrooms.

Photo credit: france24.com

At least the Development Bureau has indicated the struggle has to stop. Its spokesman indicated a change in its regulation set in 1959 is long overdue, citing changes to the 1 to 1 male-to-female ratio. Now it suggests the ratio be adjusted to 1 male to 1.5 female. I am not sure if establishments that choose to restrict use of washrooms to tenants will be asked to open up to ease the bottleneck.

The proposed change impacts new establishments such as shopping malls, cinemas and other venues on buildings to be built in the future. The bureau conducted a survey in a shopping mall which indicated that 88 per cent of male respondents said they didn’t need to queue to use the toilets. In contrast, 44 per cent of female shoppers said they did. The proposed changes in the ratio will bring relief but since no adjustment is necessary in existing buildings – unless they undergo major renovation works – it may take time before female patrons see the easing of toilet queues.