Urinal - Urinals For Women

Urinals For Women

In the Western world, women are generally taught to sit or squat while urinating. Many therefore do not know how—or even that it is possible for a woman—to aim their urine as would be required to use a male urinal. Thus, several different types of urinal have been designed for women that do not require the user to aim her urine stream.

From 1950 to 1974, the American Standard company offered the mass-produced "Ladies' Home Urinal". It did not provide significant advantages over conventional toilets, because it used just as much floor space and flushing water. Its main selling point was that it was specifically designed for women to use without touching.

Several other designs have been tried since then, but they required the user either to hover awkwardly or to bring her genitals into close contact with the fixture. Most have not caught on. Current clothes fashions such as panty hose and slacks inhibit women from using them because they do not want their garments to touch the urinal or the floor. Often, women have little experience with them and do not know whether to approach them forward or backward.

More recently, models that use a specialized funnel have been introduced, with some success, at outdoor festivals such as Glastonbury (to reduce cycle times and alleviate long lines). In 2011, a portable female urinal—the Pollee—was introduced at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark and was embraced by female festival visitors.