NYC adopts bathroom parity measure

NEW YORK, July 1 (UPI) -- New York has joined other cities such as Chicago in addressing the lack of equality when it comes to restrooms for women.

New York's City Council has approved a measure for a 2-1 ratio of women's stalls to men's urinals and stalls for public facilities including sports arenas, concert halls, theaters, bars, nightclubs and other entertainment venues, the Chicago Tribune reported Friday.

Studies show women take at least twice as long and sometimes five times as long in the a public bathroom as men but with equal facilities it results in longer lines to use the bathroom, according to John Banzhaf of the National Law Center of George Washington University.

The longer times in the bathroom are understandable, said Kathryn Anthony, a professor of architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

"Only women must always come in direct contact with toilet surfaces; only women must attend to feminine hygiene needs; only women become pregnant and breast-feed babies and women are more likely to accompany small children to public restrooms," Anthony said.