A female urinal is a urinal designed for the female anatomy to allow for ease of use by women and girls. Different models enable urination in standing, semi-squatting, or squatting postures, but usually without direct bodily contact with the toilet. Sitting models also exist, and are designed for body contact with the urinal.
Unisex urinals are also marketed by various companies, and can be used by both sexes. Female and unisex urinals are much less common than male urinals. Moreover, male urinals are more abundant in men's or boys' public toilets than in the toilets of private homes.
Background Advantages compared to toilets for urination Urinals for female users could potentially have some of the same advantages as urinals for male users, when compared to toilets (solely with regard to urination):Kyriakou, D., & Jackson, J. (2011): We Know Squat About Female Urinals. Plumbing Connection, (Autumn 2011), 54 (PDF-document ) lower cost simpler maintenance smaller space requirements (several wall-mounted urinals may be installed on the floor space of a single toilet cubicle) reduced water consumption for flushing compared to sit toilets (waterless urinals can even function without any flushing water) more hygienic, contact-free urination process (no risk of contact with feces from previous users) no urine on toilet seat from women who avoid contact faster use potential for easier recycling of nutrients as fertilizer
Due to an increased number of units in the same amount of floor space, there is usually a faster and shorter queue for public urinals; up to 30% more people can use the toilet facilities at the same time.
Female urinals could possibly be suitable for use in public toilets which are heavily used during peak hours and which are likely to attract large numbers of visitors, especially places like theaters, stadiums, schools, universities, discotheques, shopping centers, and public transit facilities. In addition, temporary mobile female urinals have been developed for use at open-air events and festivals, as well as free-standing units for public spaces.
Design and implementation
Urinals are being developed that can be used by both sexes. While urinals for men and boys can be found almost everywhere in public toilets, unisex and female urinals are still niche products. Many people feel that this is satisfactory because of anatomical differences that make use of a urinal more convenient for the male population than it would be for the female population. According to Mete Demiriz, a professor of sanitary technology at the Westphalian University of Applied Sciences in Gelsenkirchen, economic considerations and social conventions also prevent the wider installation of female urinals in public toilets.
The female urinal models offered today are conceptually similar to each other and follow the shape and design of male urinals but are more closely tailored to the female anatomy. One difference is most women choose to stand with their back toward the urinal and adopt a half-squatting position, which is also sometimes called the "skier's posture" or "hovering stance". This is based on the posture that women generally adopt in conventional public toilets if they are dirty and when physical contact is not desired, but hovering may leave urine behind in the bladder and may not be good for the pelvic floor muscles. Thus some people hover only in cases of dire necessity.
In countries where squat toilets are the norm, female urinals can also be found as a ceramic pan at floor level. This kind of urinal would be used in a full squat position to avoid splashing back of urine. In the past, models that were used in a full squat (similar to Asian squat-style toilets) have been developed to the prototype stageDemiriz, M. (2010). Female urinals. In Proceedings of the CIB W062 2010–36th International Symposium of Water Supply and Drainage for Buildings. pdf-file or brought to the market, like the "Peeandgo" by Chen-Karlsson, but those did not achieve commercial success. , all female urinals available on the western market were wall-mounted and used in a half-squat, "skiing" position.German Engineers Want to Bring Gender Equality to Public Toilets. Katie Van Syckle, The Cut, 12 August 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
Locations Female and unisex urinals in public toilets
In the 1990s, a number of prototypes were developed for female urinals, of which only three were finally ready for the market and are now used: the "Lady P" by Sphinx Sanitair, the "Lady Loo" by GBH and the "Girly" by Ceramica Catalano, which has won several design awards. Since the 2000s, female urinals have been introduced in a few European public toilets, with more models, like "Ona" designed by Cajsa Flensburg, "She-Pee", "WC3" used with P-mate, "Peescape" by Alexander Schweder, "madamePee" founded by Nathalie des Isnards (2018), "Lapee" created by Gina Périer (2019), "Marcelle" (2019), "Peequal", "NPK" and "Uritrottoir" by Ekovore, and "MISSOIR" by Lena Olvedi, having been developed.
In the course of the development towards unisex toilets, designers and developers are increasingly faced with the challenge of creating gender-appropriate solutions. Models, like "Uni-Pee" designed by Tamar Dax, "We P" designed by Michal Farago, "MissWizz" from Ellen Lejeune, "UriLift" from Pop-Up Toilet Company, "Captain" by Uridan, "Ti'Pi" by Ves Bat Eco, "Weestand" by LiquidGold, and "Urin*all" in collaboration with the Swiss sanitary technology company Urimat,Urin*alle All-Gender Urinal have been developed that can be used comfortably by women and men alike. Urin*all was developed 2022 by two Swiss industrial designers at the FHNW School of Art and Design in Basel. Women use the front part while men use the rear area, so that facilities for fast and contactless urination are available to people of any gender - thereby enabling more gender equality in public space. The urinal also requires no water and can collect phosphorus, which serves as fertilizer for plants. The all-gender urinal has now been awarded the public prize by Valoo, the Swiss network for sustainable sanitary systems and is currently further developed in collaboration with the Swiss sanitary technology company Urimat.Designerinnen entwickeln Pissoir für Menschen mit und ohne Penis - argoviatoday#ToBeContinued: Urin*All – eine Toilette für alle - Baunetz Campus
Berlin now has some unisex toilets and unisex urinals, to be used by both sexes. , with the expiration of a contract for public toilets with Wall GmbH, a new toilet concept for public spaces in Berlin is being developed. Urinals which can be used in a similar fashion (facing the wall) by both sexes are an essential part of the future unisex toilet facilities.
In 2023, sustainable toilets that do not require water were installed in various parks and public places throughout the city of Berlin. As an alternative to the sit-down toilet, there is a urinal for women and men. The unisex urinal is built so that women can urinate while squatting and men while standing. According to Florian Augustin, managing director of the manufacturing company Finizio, "after some initial skepticism, the urinal is being enthusiastically accepted by women."„Wir verstehen diese Toiletten als ein Portal in die Zukunft“: Berlin testet autarke Öko-Klohäuschen in Parks Sehen so die Klohäuschen der Zukunft aus? Für 1,7 Millionen Euro testet Berlin 24 Toiletten, die ohne Strom und Wasser auskommen. Selbst Kot findet hier noch Verwendung. - TagesspiegelÖko-Toilette am Stadtpark Steglitz aufgestellt - weiterer Standort geplant - Berliner Woche
Problems with implementation At present, two different arrangements are currently being implemented in practice: a row arrangement (usually with a partition as a separating element), comparable to male urinals; and in individual booths or cabins, as in classic toilets. The main advantage compared to the classic toilet, compact space requirements, is lost with the latter design. With a row arrangement, the density of facilities can be increased, resulting in shorter wait times. However, this is not the case with the booth arrangement, in which a classic toilet bowl is simply replaced by a urinal.
The booth solution is often proposed with the argument that female use of open urinals is socially unacceptable and associated with embarrassment. However, urination while in the company of others can be a problem for some men as well. There is always the possibility to switch to a classical toilet stall if the use of urinals is associated with shame (e.g. in the case of paruresis).
This problem arises more in the context of increasing trends towards unisex toilets for men and women. A sharing of toilets raises the question of how urinals should be arranged for both sexes in the room. While toilets are usually housed in booths with lockable doors, urinals are usually installed openly in a row in gender-separated toilets. This construction method requires less space, allows for more people to urinate at the same time while promoting better hygiene and economics, and keeps the toilet stalls cleaner and more available for those who need them - which is currently one of the main advantages of installing male urinals. One possibility would be to continue offering urinals in rows. These could, whether separated into male and female urinals or as unisex urinals, be separated by so-called "pubic walls".
An alternative would be to accommodate urinals for both sexes in booths or to continue offering urinals for men only. However, this would at least limit the above-mentioned advantages of the urinals for women. Accordingly, the German lawyer and author Marcus Werner sees a significant disadvantage in unisex toilets if these would lead to the elimination of urinals in classic open rows.
Urinals arranged in booths have not been popular, since the advantages compared to conventional toilets were not obvious, given the unchanged space requirement. After 13 years, the four ladies' urinals in the Salzburg Congress Center were removed in August 2015 due to a lack of interest. They have been replaced by conventional toilets.
In the unisex toilets planned for the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin (Texas) in 2017, the urinals are to be located in an area separated from the entrance area by a door. These are designed as unisex urinals and are arranged in open rows within this range. This would allow men and women to use side-by-side urinals in this room, preferably with both sexes standing with their face towards the wall, while those who prefer to not see persons of the opposite sex urinating may use a traditional toilet booth nearby. According to Richard Weiss, the architect who is planning this restroom, this would create the greatest possible freedom of choice for all genders.
History 19th and early 20th century Recent developments in creating urinals for women and for use by both sexes are not a new revolution in sanitation, as some manufacturers suggest. Rather, it is the renaissance of a concept whose roots lie in the 19th century. During the 19th century, in the early days of public toilet development, female urinals were installed and urinals were not thought of as being exclusively for men. For example, the 1897 German Handbuch der Architektur (Handbook of architecture) shows "women's urinals with automatic rinsing"; at that time the advantages featured were less costly installation and water savings:
At that time, the female urinal was unable to establish itself in Germany, and they were installed only occasionally. In 1902, on the initiative of the City Building Office, a decision was taken in Munich to install women's urinals throughout the city in public convenience stores. A letter to the Kirchmair Board of Directors, for example, explains the plenary decision of the Baumagistrat on 13 February 1902: