We Need More Progress: Men’s Public Restroom Should Have A Changing Table

We need them. Society needs more proof that it wins equally and a great example of this would be the fact that men’s public bathrooms also had their changing area, where fathers could change their babies’ diapers just as any mother can.

We are sure that many of our readers who are parents have found themselves in this same situation. Going out with your child for a walk through a mall and finding yourself in the position of needing to care for the baby. It is as if our social institutions have not yet made that necessary turn towards equality, towards that basic and essential sensitivity where, curious as it may seem, parents themselves are often left out of care and upbringing.

Dads do not “help”, nor are they an auxiliary agent in a home, dads educate, nurture, comfort, feed and are present. It is necessary that we change terms, that we make real progress, because parents are a daily part in the care and education of children, and they also need that intimate space in any public place where they can change their children’s diapers.

Fortunately, some countries have already made some progress. In “You are Mom” we talk about it.

The strange adventures of the father in search of a public changer

Imagine for a moment any given day in the life of a family. Maria is the mother of a 9-month-old baby. She has returned to work and now, it is her partner, Miguel, who is in charge of the care and parenting tasks. One fine day, taking advantage of the good weather, this dad decides to go for a walk with his baby. Get the cart ready and put out some clothes just in case and some diapers.

You go into a shopping center to have a coffee, when at one point, your baby begins to cry out loud. He is upset, restless: he needs to have his diaper changed. Miguel enters the toilet and realizes that the changing table is only in the women’s area. So you have two options: risk going into the female bathroom and change your child, or go to the men’s area and change the baby on a pile doing adventures and putting the little one in danger.

This is what happened to a young man in Costa Rica, we explain what happened.

A real case in a McDonald’s in Costa Rica

We don’t know the name of this dad, but the situation was the same. Our protagonist was very outraged at this situation, especially when he was categorically prohibited from entering the women’s bathroom. So he chose to denounce the McDonal’s located in front of the Plaza de la Cultura, in San José.

The appeal was in his favor, and the precedent was set by the Constitutional Chamber with the vote 6386-16 of May 13, 2016.

According to the judge, that act “damaged” the right to non-discrimination and equality.

First advances in the United States

In the United States, they took a giant step towards gender equality in October of last year. The law was formed by former President Barack Obama, and it was established that all public buildings have, by law, a changing room in both areas, the male and the female. 

• We hope without a doubt that with the new administration of Donald Trump the remodeling of all these areas will be maintained and carried out.

• In addition, we also expect the American example reach many more countries. We do not have reliable data on which cities also apply this initiative, because one of the objections that are most often justified for not carrying it out is the economic one: renovating men’s toilets is an expense that not everyone is good at putting into practice.

However, something as simple as having a changing table in these areas says a lot about the establishment, the store, the restaurant chain or the leisure area.

Out with prejudices: dads also change diapers

As curious as it may seem, there are still voices that point out that the task of changing diapers has a gender: that of women. Thinking this, defending this idea is putting chains on our society, and curbing the concept of respectful and egalitarian parenting that we should all keep in mind.

So let’s put into practice another daily task: let’s eliminate prejudices. If you are a father, fight for your rights, if you enter a restaurant or any public area and cannot find the changing table in the men’s bathroom, demand it, put the complaint on a complaint sheet.

Every voice becomes a cry for change when many protagonists come together, every demand becomes a clear demand when we are thousands of protagonists. So let’s do it, let’s fight for a more equal, more respectful society.