Menstrual Needs and Toilet Room Standards: A Comparative Study of Finland and Sweden

Research Project, 2025 – 2027

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 maintain gender inequality in health, well-being, and participation in society (Greed 2010, 2016, 2019; Moffat & Pickering 2019; Penner 2013, Moltoch & Norén 2010).  addition, 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 connects to Formas´ work on the built environment and environmental issues.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and comparative methods and includes a variety of materials such as interviews, qualitative survey data, and historical documents.