Amsterdam’s city government says they can’t find room to substantially increase the number of women’s toilets at major events, an issue that has become a hot topic over the years.
The city installs numbers of temporary toilets for big events such as King’s Day and the Canal Parade, but there’s always what’s been dubbed the ‘urination gap’ between the amount of facilities available for women compared to men. While urinals are typically free and widely available, women often have to pay to use toilets at events or in hospitality settings, with prices sometimes reaching several euros on busy days like King’s Day.
The issue has been raised repeatedly in City Council by some factions, saying that in practice men still have easier access, and that women, the elderly and people with disabilities face greater difficulties. The Council official responsible says that “On peak event days, we’ve reached the practical and spatial limits of how many toilets we can place in the city,” However, the city is planning to experiment with women’s urinals at some upcoming events.
