St. Petersburg legislator Alexey Tsivilev is pushing for changes to federal design standards for public buildings, arguing they contain a systemic bias favoring men in the use of sanitary facilities. Tsivilev’s concerns stem from an analysis of official responses from the Russian Ministry of Construction, revealing inequalities in toilet access enshrined at the regulatory level.

Data from the Ministry of Construction highlighted imbalances in various public buildings. In sports facilities designed for 60 people, current standards mandate three toilets for women but only two toilets and four urinals for men. Similarly, swimming pools accommodating 150 people allocate 10 toilets for women, while men receive six toilets and six urinals.

Tsivilev emphasized that urinals occupy less space and offer faster service, resulting in higher throughput for male restrooms. He also pointed out the lack of clear requirements for sanitary appliances in theaters and entertainment venues to ensure equal waiting times, despite a visitor ratio of 1:2 favoring women.

The Ministry of Construction, in its response, noted that specific design solutions are recommendatory and determined by the documentation developer.

Tsivilev intends to seek changes to the standards, pushing for a mandatory calculation of restroom throughput capacity for facilities accommodating 500 or more people. He advocates for a 2:1 ratio favoring female stalls in all new buildings and plans to appeal to the Ministry of Culture to conduct an audit of sanitary zones in cultural institutions.