She-it.

Because I have the occasion to visit a great many such facilities, it seems to me that there is a disturbing trend developing among female scientists in both industry and academia.  I am not referring to the dearth of women in senior leadership roles, but to their increasing inability to shit with some degree of civility.  I cannot help but wonder if there is a correlation.

I am simultaneously amused and disgusted by the observation that nearly every restroom at my customer accounts is adorned with some sort of  instruction in the proper use of a toilet.  These range from simple pictorial images to lengthy manifestos on the importance of hygiene in shared facilities.  I am particularly fond of this highly motivational poster:

I have witnessed (and as a small mercy to my readers, not photographed) the provocations to such signage, and it is indeed hideous.  At one account in particular, I found myself on the edge of enthrallment as I contemplated the physics and trajectories necessary to allow the deposition of fecal matter in such a location.  Could it really be simple neglect or was something more sinister unfolding in this place or digestive repose? 

Several days later, I found the answer to my ponderings affixed to a university stall:

  

Well, that explains how it got THERE.  However, it is now clear to me that it is not a matter of malice, but a cultural issue - and a difficult one to reconcile at that.  Considering the reluctance of most women to make physical contact with the seats of public toilets, it is unlikely that appealing to a sense of safety is going to convince women who have been trained to squat that sitting is a superior alternative.  You'd have just as little luck trying to persuade Westerners -  particularly those with bad knees or prohibitive fat depositions - of the benefits of the squat position (although a nurse friend of mine is a huge advocate, claiming that in countries where squatting is the norm, there is no such thing as constipation. I maintain that it has more to do with the unavailability of clean drinking water in such countries.  Diarrhea and constipation are mutually exclusive - despite being co-listed as side effects on nearly every medication known to man.)

The simplest solution is no simple solution:

I feel this issue underpins the one of fundamental difficulties of blending diverse cultures.  It is one thing to accept peculiar cultural differences as charming eccentricities, but when it comes to replacing common yet costly infrastructure, the conversation may easily turn to questions of whether compromise should rest with the immigrant or the indigenous.  On the one hand, when you move to a new country, you might expect that you will need to adapt to the unfamiliar habits of your host nation (such as 12 ounce pint glasses...WTF?!).  Similarly, one might feel perfectly entitled to carry forward the customs and learnings of the motherland. 

Both views are valid. 

Both lead to stalemate.

Both lead to shitty toilets.