Mindful of pee and queues, women’s urinals on the way
It’s a familiar scene at public events, from music festivals to marathons: The line for the women’s restroom is much longer than the men’s.
On average, women attending large gatherings wait 34 times longer than men just to use the restroom.
But this summer, a game-changing toilet design aims to pioneer “pee equality” and end the days of women flocking to use the toilet while missing an event.
Peequal, the women’s squat urinal, will be unveiled at events in Australia, Europe and the United States after the British startup raised nearly STG 900,000 ($1.9 million) from investors.
The investment was sparked by demand from international events, and co-founders Amber Probyn and Hazel McShane say it will “give the gift of shorter queues to women around the world”.
The duo first came up with the idea as part of a university master’s project in which they were tasked with solving a real-world problem.
Both women, who spent their summers working at festivals, recalled having to choose between going to the bathroom and buying food because the lines at the women’s restrooms were too long to do either.
“We knew what we wanted to tackle: the ladies’ toilet line, why it was there and what could be done to solve it,” Ms Probyn told AAP.
“We have used squat toilets when traveling in other countries such as France and Asia, but the queues remain for women.”
It is estimated that urinals have been used 1.25 million times since the first event in 2022.
Peequal has been trialled at Glastonbury, London Marathon and Pride 2023.
In Australia, British founders are in talks with toilet providers for yet-to-be-decided events.
“We have heard from events and toilet suppliers around the world that they want to use our women’s urinals,” Ms McShane said.
“Like us, they want women to spend less time queuing and more time enjoying the activities they love.”
Urinals are designed to be flat-packed and stacked; This allows transport trucks to fit more units than regular portable toilets.
Each urinal can be easily constructed by a single person in less than 90 seconds and is designed to be touch-free and open-air to allow air flow to prevent the spread of germs.
“Women are finally given a facility that is made for them and takes their needs, their bodies and their plans into account,” Ms Probyn said.
“Users act as our ambassadors, inviting their friends to try Peequal and spreading the news on social media.”
