In Canada, as elsewhere in the world, women still face very real challenges when it comes to urinating outside the home. Whether it's a lack of adequate sanitary facilities, security concerns, or issues related to incontinence, these challenges directly affect their freedom, comfort, and sometimes even their dignity.
Today, more and more voices are calling for rethinking access to toilets from an equity perspective. Innovative solutions are emerging, driven by women who refuse to remain constrained by infrastructure... or by taboos.
Urinary incontinence: a subject too often taboo
Urinary incontinence affects many women, particularly during and after pregnancy. This reality, which is still rarely discussed, can cause discomfort, loss of self-confidence, and limit certain movements.
Solutions exist, including discreet absorbent protection, designed to combine effectiveness, comfort, and discretion in daily life.
Access to public restrooms: an equity issue
Equitable access to toilets is a concern for many women in Quebec. We often mention:
- The insufficient number of women's restrooms
- Sometimes unacceptable hygiene conditions...
- The lack of security in certain public places
It is in this context that products like portable urinals for women (also called "stand-to-pee devices") find their full relevance. Simple, hygienic, and reusable, they offer a practical and liberating alternative for outings, travel, or nature activities.
Fundamental rights in the background
This subject goes beyond the mere question of comfort: it is part of a broader reflection on women's rights and freedoms.
In Quebec, the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms guarantees everyone the right to life, safety, integrity, and freedom. The Civil Code also protects the right to bodily integrity.
Limiting access to such a fundamental need as urinating can thus be perceived as an indirect form of discrimination.
Social challenges and concrete solutions
The lack of access to adequate sanitary facilities constitutes a barrier to women's full participation in social, professional, and civic life. It is a societal issue, at the intersection of well-being, health, urban planning, and human rights.
Today, alternatives exist: absorbent protection, portable urinals, citizen mobilization... And each of these initiatives participates in the same vision: that of a more egalitarian, more respectful, and freer world.
Because urinating freely should never be a challenge, La marinette® has become the essential ally of all women on the move.
To discover : La marinette® – The female urinal redesigned for modern daily life
This text is inspired by general observations and public information on incontinence, access to public restrooms, and fundamental rights in Quebec.
Mélanie V.