The agenda of inclusion dashed by the disappearance of washrooms

It was a clean washroom with running water and toilet paper rolls. Technically, the 7-storey government building in Delhi had toilets for women on each floor, but most were in poor condition. Until then, I’d lived without water for hours, ignoring stomach cramps, and not having a hotel nearby meant reporting a day without clean washrooms. Also, I realized that while many women work in the building, only a few senior employees get access to that key.

The mythical clean toilet is not a public versus private company issue. This is India Inc.’s untold and perhaps biggest challenge in bringing about diversity and inclusion. Top officials seem to be unaware of how many women in their offices suffer from urinary tract infections (UTIs) and fall ill. This leads to absenteeism and productivity declines, with many of us already out of action, injured. Unlike maternity leave, no congratulatory cards or loving words are given on returning to the office after a UTI-related absence. Most coworkers won’t even know, and someone’s concerned lady circle will give you the usual cool advice: crouch, balance, sanitize, repeat.

Not everyone may have a corner office, but a tidy washroom should not be the prerogative of the top few at India Inc. One evening, I needed one after a meeting at the Delhi office of a big corporate. There were several washrooms for women, but to reach them one had to cross an enclosed terrace. It didn’t feel right to walk across an empty terrace into a dimly lit washroom. So I waited for another passenger whose needs were as important as mine and tagged along.

Women returning to their workplaces after the Kovid epidemic have been found to be less than men. Fewer women returning to work means they are less likely to agitate for the right to more leisure centres.

Today, as India Inc chants chants on diversity and inclusivity, new layers of complexity emerge in the washroom challenge: Where should the third gender go? Pallavi Pareek, Founder of Ungender Legal Advisory, explains how companies across sectors talk about engaging third-gender candidates in the form of hiring, but rarely offer them a washroom. “Some companies ask them to use handicapped washrooms,” Pareek told me, “How can one explain this? [new recruit], What effect does this have on people who otherwise use the washroom?”

For decades, India Inc. took a binary approach on gender, but today’s new-age firms are comfortable with those who tick the no-gender box. Some workers can also pass from one gender to another.

“Companies have said that most of their employees are not comfortable with the idea of ​​other genders using their washrooms. And rarely do firms have the space, access, money and most importantly, the will to look at plumbing systems and build a set of completely neutral washrooms,” Pareek said.

What explains this resistance to more gender-neutral washrooms? I chanced upon a discussion on Twitter where some said they wanted separate designated areas, raising “cleanliness” challenges. I’m not sure ‘cleanliness’ is the only major reason. The issue is complex. A washroom is a private place where informal conversations take place. This is a place beyond jurisdiction and many genders with access to that space will require a complete change of mindset.

While the recruitment of diversity continues, the washroom is a victim of neglect. As noted by economist Mithali Nikor, both government and private offices in small towns and cities rarely have toilets that women can use comfortably. Nikor said, “In my visits, some washrooms for women were either under maintenance or under construction, and this was despite a fair share of women employees.” While many companies are emphasizing on crche facilities, well-equipped washrooms are not. Pay enough attention Nikkor Associates analyzed 500 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives implemented by Nifty 50 companies in the last two years. Only 38% of the companies had childcare and crche facilities in their offices. If one diverts the attention from permanent employees from offices to manufacturing units and temporary workers, the problem is even more dire.

Washroom issues, if not resolved, can go awry with corporate plans. Think of the workers’ protest at an iPhone-manufacturing plant of Foxconn near Chennai last December. A Reuters report said, “For women collecting iPhones at a Foxconn plant in southern India, overcrowded dorms without flush toilets and sometimes food crawling with insects had to bear paychecks.” Was.” When 250 workers fell ill after a meal provided by the company, it led to protests that culminated in the temporary closure of the factory.

Diversity and inclusive planning will flourish only when the most basic needs of the people are met. The demand for ‘toilets for all’ should be as strong as ‘equal pay for all’.

Devina Sengupta is a Mint reporter covering workplaces and education,