Girls weigh in on lack of dividers in men's restroom, appreciate privacy

Juliana Discher I Staff Writer

Girls, “urine” luck. Plastic stalls make for a peaceful restroom situation.

According to sophomore McKayla Peebles, the girl’s restroom is a private sanctuary compared to the boy’s restroom.

“I feel like the bathrooms are very private,” Peebles said. “I’ve never been violated or felt any extreme level of discomfort at Mason. Guys probably feel uncomfortable without the urinal dividers because they’re self conscious about somebody making fun of them, even though they don’t really need to be.”

If there were no stalls separating the toilets, Peebles said this would be a serious issue for girls. 

“I wouldn’t go to the bathroom at the high school,” Peebles said. “I would just wait until nobody else was in there. I would be really scared.” 

According to a 2014 article by The Atlantic, “Until the 1800's, there was little expectation of privacy while using the bathroom. Economic prosperity and religious notions of modesty made the desire for a private space in which to do one’s business more widespread." Nowadays, most developed countries have private bathrooms.

Senior Ellie Morrissey said she feels sympathy for the boys’ lack of urinal dividers.

“I don’t think the privacy level is a problem in the girl’s bathrooms,” Morrissey said. “Apparently in the guy’s bathroom it is. I had no idea that it was like that for guys and I just feel bad. I’m sure they deal with it, but it’s still an inconvenience.”

Peebles and Morrissey both said the bathroom experience is better alone.

“I prefer to go the bathroom with nobody in there,” Peebles said. “If there is somebody else in there, I just wait until they leave.”

AP Psychology teacher Angie Johnston said the lack of urinal dividers makes her appreciate her privacy even more.

“I’m thankful for this reason that I’m a female and have my own private area to go to the bathroom,” Johnston said. “While it’s a natural body process we all do, it’s human nature to desire privacy when going to the bathroom.”

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