Public toilets in some Swiss train stations charge 2 francs for a toilet and 1.5 francs for a urinal.
The sit-down price is the same for both men and women, but given only men can use urinals, they have an option unavailable to women, to pay a bit less for a number one.
Why the price is different for urinals is not clear, but it could be driven by cost: urinals take up less space. It might also be intended to reduce the incentive, that really only men have, to pee in a back alley.
Recently, this PR disaster in-waiting made headlines. Speaking to RTS, Caroline Dayer, an expert on violence prevention and discrimination, said that it was clearly a case of discrimination given that it is unjustifiably disadvantageous.
Urinals reflect an inescapable gender difference, which in this case presents itself as a price differential.
In Switzerland, gender differences also present themselves in the form of compulsory male military service. Broadly, all able-bodied Swiss men must do military service or pay a supplemental tax. Women can choose to serve but make no additional financial contribution if they opt not to.
Defining discrimination and deciding where to draw lines is rarely as straight forward as taking aim at urinals.
More on this:
RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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