Men should have changing rooms too

Have you ever gone to the men’s bathroom and seen a section for fathers to change diapers? I guess not. This shows you that so much needs to change for us to truly have a gender equal world.

If you have followed me for quite some time now, you would know that I actively advocate for both parents to be actively involved in childcare. Of course, I recognize that different families have their dynamics and so I also encourage people to find what works for them even though I strongly believe partnership and division of labour work because I have seen couples practice it. My father was actively involved in our care and there are other men I have heard about as well. 

That said, I have noticed that when a family chooses the path of joint partnership, it seems like society makes it a tad difficult for them – it really feels that way. Maybe because we have been used to doing things the old way, just how schools automatically assume that the parent to call for emergencies is the woman. (Kindly refer to https://roselineadewuyi.com/gendered-behaviour-towards-parents-in-schools/)

In the same way, many organizations expect women to be the parent who is always with the baby. This makes them create changing rooms for women to change the babies. But in reality, it is not so, babies are not always with their mothers – even when gender equality is absent. Fathers care for babies too and so facilities should be made available for them to do this effectively, especially as more couples are embracing egalitarian relationships. More forward-thinking organizations should implement this.

How can we do this practically?

It starts from recognizing that parenting is not supposed to be a one gender affair. Both genders come together to make a baby and so, it makes sense that both of them should be involved in raising that child. With this in mind, we will restructure our restrooms and create changing rooms for men too. Of course, we can’t expect the change to be automatic. That’s why we ae going to be advocating for this until everyone in the places of authority understands and chooses to make a difference. Will you join the cause?