Embodiment elimination and the role of toilets in struggles for social justice.docx
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Embodiment elimination and the role of toilets in struggles for social justice.docx
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Embodimenteliminationandtheroleoftoiletsinstrugglesforsocialjustice
Toilets(Socialaspects)
Genderequality(Analysis)
Feminism(Analysis)
Defecation(Socialaspects)
Socialjustice(Analysis)
Author:
Plaskow,Judith
PubDate:
03/22/2008
Publication:
Name:
Cross Currents Publisher:
Association for Religion and Intellectual Life Audience:
Professional Format:
NewsletterSubject:
Education Copyright:
COPYRIGHT 2008 Association for Religion and Intellectual Life ISSN:
0011-1953
Issue:
Date:
Spring,2008 SourceVolume:
58 SourceIssue:
1
Topic:
Event Code:
290Publicaffairs
Geographic:
Geographic Scope:
UnitedKingdom Geographic Code:
4EUUKUnitedKingdom
Revaluingthebody,andespeciallythefemalebody,hasbeencentraltothefeministproject.OneneedonlythinkofthesignificanceandsuccessofOurBodiesOurselvesanditssequelstoappreciatetheextenttowhichreclaimingwomen'scolonizedbodyspacehasplayedavitalroleinfeministtheoryandactivism.Inreligiousstudies,feministshavewrittenextensivelyaboutdisparagementofthebodyandsexualityandidentificationofwomenwiththebodyinWesternthought.FromRosemaryRadfordRuether'sexplorationsofdualisminclassicalandChristianculturewrittenintheearly1970stoMargaretFarley'sJustlovepublishedin2006,historians,ethicists,theologians,andothershavebothcritiquedinfluentialcanonicaltextsandattemptedtoformulatealternative,appreciative,andnon-dualisticunderstandingsofsexualityandhumanembodiment.Itisinteresting,therefore,thatinfortyyearsoffeministtheorizingaboutthebody,eliminationasafundamentalaspectofbodyexperiencehasbeenlargelyignored.Foucaultmayberightthatforthelastthreecenturies,"sexhasbecomesomethingtosay,andtosayexhaustively,"butexcretionseemstobeconsignedtotheshadows.
(1)InthewordsofNormanO.Brown,"Repressionweighsmoreheavilyonanalitythangenitality."
(2)
Inthisessay,Iseektoremedytheneglectofeliminationbyoutlininganewprojectonembodiment,elimination,andtheroleoftoiletsinstrugglesforsocialjustice.Theprojecthastwostrandsthataredeeplyinterconnected.Thefirstlooksatthewaysinwhichaccesstotoiletsisaprerequisiteforfullpublicparticipationandcitizenship.Thedistribution,quality,andstructureofpublictoiletsarebothsymbolsandconcreterepresentationsofalargersystemofsocialhierarchies.AlmostallthesocialjusticemovementsofthelastcenturyintheUnitedStateshaveincludedstrugglesforadequatetoiletfacilitiesasanatleastimplicitpartoftheiragendas:
thecivilrightsmovement,feminism,disabilityrights,andrightsfortransgenderpersons.Inaddition,anabsenceoftoiletsisamajorproblemforhomelesspersonsandisapressinghealthissueinthetwo-thirdsworld.Howdoeslookingattoiletshelpustomappowerrelationsinoursocietyandglobally?
Whatlocalbattleshavebeenfoughtovertoiletequity?
Thesecondstrandoftheprojectinvolvesreflectingoneliminationasanaspectofhumanembodiment.Whytherelativesilencearoundthisissueevenamongscholarswhohavewrittenextensivelyaboutthebody?
Whatdoesourneedforexcretionsayaboutusasembodiedpersons?
Howhaveattitudesandpracticesaroundexcretionchangedovertime?
Whatwoulditmeanforfeministstoreclaimexcretioninthewaywehavereclaimedsexuality?
Whatwouldsanitaryfacilitieslooklikeinaworldinwhichpeoplewerebothcomfortablewiththisaspectofembodimentandcommittedtoenablingamaximumnumberofpersonstoparticipatefullyinpubliclife?
Thetopicoftoiletsisintriguingpartlybecauseitprovidesavehicleforexploringmanyintersectingissues:
bathroomdesignanddistributioncanperpetuateawiderangeofsocialinequalities,andbathroomactivismhasthepotentialtobringtogetherverydiverseinterestgroups.(3)Inthispaper,IwillfocusonsomefeministissuessurroundingbathroomsintheWesternculturalcontextasaninstanceofthebroaderproblemoftoiletsandsocialjustice.Sometimestheabsenceofwomen'slavatoriessoclearlyreflectstheexclusionofwomenfrompublicpowerandpublicspacethatitleavesonealmostdumbfounded.TherewasnorestroomforwomensenatorsneartheSenatefloor,forexample,until1992,whenthenumberofwomenintheSenatewentfromtwotoseven.Beforethen,BarbaraMikulskiandNancyKassebaumeitherhadtogoupafloortotheirofficesorusethepublicrestroomsdownstairs.WomenintheHouseofRepresentativeshaveaposhrestroom.Unlikethemen'sroom,however,whichisjustafewfeetfromtheHousechamber,itisaccessedbytraversingahallwheretouristsgatherorgoingthroughtheminorityleader'sofficeandthenwindingdownalongcorridor.(4)Ontheonehand,separateCongressionalrestroomfacilitiesthemselvesreflectthestatusandpowerdifferencesbetweenelectedofficialsandconstituents.Ontheotherhand,asonerecentlyelectedCongresswomanputit,"We'retalkingaboutthetimeittakeseachofustohandleourbusinessandgetbacktobusiness."(5)Notonlydoestheabsenceofwomen'sbathroomssignifytheexclusionofwomenfromcertainprofessionsandhallsofpower,butitalsohasfunctionedasanexplicitargumentagainsthiringwomenoradmittingthemintopreviouslyall-maleorganizations.InstitutionsasdiverseasYaleMedicalSchool,HarvardLawSchool,andtheBronxandBrooklynBarAssociationshaveclaimedthattheywereunabletoletinwomenbecausenorestroomfacilitieswereavailableforthem.(6)TheVirginiaMilitaryInstitutemadethesameargumentasrecentlyas1996.(7)
Theseobviousandegregiousexamplesofhowadearthoftoiletsreflectsandperpetuatessocialinequalityareonacontinuumwiththeinconveniencesandhumiliationsthatmanywomenexperienceeveryday.Howmanywomenhavemissedpartsofmeetingsorevents--orhavestoodwiththeirlegscrossedandbreathingdeeply--becausetheywereonendlessbathroomlineswhilemenzippedinandoutofmen'srooms?
Sometimes,especiallyinagingbuildings,thediscrepancybetweenmaleandfemalelavatoryspaceseemstoreflectdeliberatediscrimination.OntheballroomflooroftheNewYorkHilton,forexample,thewomen'sroomhasfourstallswhiletheadjoiningmen'sroomhassixstallsandsixurinals.Sometimes,women'sandmen'sroomsareallottedequalfloorspacebut,becauseurinalstakeuplessroomthanstalls,menstillhavemorefixtures.Othertimes,men'sandwomen'sroomsmayevenhaveanequalnumberofcombinedstallsand/orurinals,butthisstillfailstotakeaccountofthefactthatwomenneedmoretoiletsthanmenforbothsocialandphysiologicalreasons.
Indeed,thequestionofwhatconstitutesbathroomequityraisesacentralfeministissue:
whendoesapparentequalityconstituteinequitybecausewomen'sneedsaredifferentfromthoseofmen?
Bothculturalandphysiologicalfactorsleadwomentospendmoretimeinthebathroomthanmendo.Tostartwith,theytakeroughlytwiceaslongtourinate.Thisisnotbecausewomenpreenthemselvesinfrontofmirrorsasissometimesclaimed,butbecauseclosingacubicle,adjustingclothing,sitting,usingtoiletpaper,andthenadjustingclothingagaintakeslongerthanstandingataurinal.Otherculturalfactorsalsoextendwomen'sbathroomtime.Womenoftenhaveprimaryresponsibilityfortakingchildrentothetoiletandmaybecalledontoassisttheelderlyanddisabled.Sometimesatabooonbreastfeedinginpublicplacesleadswomentousetoiletstobreastfeed,anactivitythattakessignificanttimeandreducesthenumberofavailablestalls.Moreover,therearemanyphysicalreasonswhy,onaverage,womenusethetoiletmorefrequentlythanmen.Aboutaquarterofadultwomenaremenstruatingatanygivenmoment,whichincreasesboththeirneedfortoiletsandthetimespentinastall.(8)Urinarytractinfectionsaretwiceascommoninwomenasinmen,withabout20percentofwomenexperiencinginfectionatsomepointintheirlives.Interstitialcystitis,achronicinflammationofthebladderwall,which,likeurinarytractinfections,increasesbothurinaryfrequencyandthesenseofurgency,isfarmorecommoninwomen.Pregnancyalsocontributestowomen'sneedformorebathrooms:
inearlypregnancy,hormonalchangesincreasetheneedtourinate,whileinlatepregnancy,theuteruspressesonthebladder,reducingitscapacity.Urinarytractinfectionsarealsomorecommonduringpregnancy,andvaginaldeliverycandamagethepelvicfloormuscles,leadingtolifelongbladderproblems.Thirtypercentofwomenbetweentheagesoffifteenandsixty-fourmaysufferfromsomeformofurinaryincontinence,asopposedtobetween1.5and5percentofmen.(9)
PartofwhatIfindintriguingandworthyofreflectioninthefactthatwomendailyconfrontbuiltspacesbasedontheneedsofhealthymalebodies,istheextenttowhichwomengrumbleaboutbutalsoacceptthisreality,andtheissuehasnotmadeitontothefeministagenda.Womenonlongbathroomlinesfrequentlycomplainandcommentonthesadrealitythatmendesignbathrooms,butasidefromoccasionallystormingamen'sroomwhenthesituationbecomesimpossible,werarelydoanythingaboutit.Wedonotcomplaintomanagement,boycottorpicketinstitutionsthathaveaninsultingnumberofstalls,ororganizeletter-writingcampaigns.Feministshavenotsystematicallyattendedtobuiltspaceasarealitythatactivelyshapesidentityandpowerrelationsinthewaythatwehaveattendedtoissuesoflanguage.(10)Justaslanguageisnotaneutraltoolforcommunicationbutreflectsandreinforcesgender,race,andclassinequalities,sothosewiththepowertodefineasociety'ssymbolicuniverseal
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