Välkommen till ett seminarium med forskargruppen FEMSEM, som gästas av Josefine Persdotter, forskare vid Chalmers.
By comparing two different toilet standards - Sweden and Finland - a crucial yet overlooked and under-researched everyday technology is explored. Critical architecture scholars have long argued that typical western toilet design maintains gender inequality in health, well-being, and participation in society (Greed 2010, 2016, 2019; Moffat & Pickering 2019; Penner 2013, Moltoch & Norén 2010). Additionally, they are environmentally resource intensive (NRDC 2020, Tapper 2023, Röhne 2010). Differently than most western countries, Finland’s standard toilets differ in one central way: they have a technology for anogenital cleansing. However, it is not known why the difference came to be, nor how it impacts menstruants. The project aims at inclusive and resource-efficient toilet design for everyone, focusing menstruation. The project's goals include: 1) Mapping and comparing historical processes that have led to different toilet standards in the two cases; 2) Understanding and comparing how differences in toilet design affect the health and well-being of menstruators, and 3) Contributing to inclusive and resource-efficient toilet design. The project utilizes a case study approach including ethnographic, historical, and comparative methods and includes a variety of materials such as interviews, qualitative survey data, and historical documents.
At this seminar, the presentation will, in part, give some interim results from the historical study, and present the design of the study of contemporary experiences of different toilet standards (interview guides, survey questions, sampling strategies, recruitment materials).