Real reasons behind why public toilet doors have gaps at top and bottom

The real reasons behind those odd gaps at the top and bottom of public toilet stalls have finally been explained.

You may have thought about why public bathroom doors and walls have those weird, huge gaps, and they're not so you can pass toilet paper to a desperate stall neighbour who's short-handed.

No, in fact, there are a number of reasons behind the decision to design almost every public toilet like this.

Unfortunately, there wasn't an worldwide toilet stall designer convention where everyone unanimously agreed, but it's close.

Why do all public restrooms look like this? (Getty Stock Photo)

Here are some of the reasons behind why the gaps are as big as they are:

Safety and cleanliness

It's a pretty important point to start off with - criminal activity and vandalism can be monitored through bigger gaps, without violating privacy.

Smaller gaps could increase the chances of anti-social behaviours or certain crimes to take place without people knowing.

It also makes it easier to clean.

More affordable

For certain establishments, such as schools, community centres, businesses and other organisations with large amounts of people, private stalls would cost more to install and maintain.

There are ways to install private stalls for less money, though stalls are just easier.

Accessibility

Narrow gaps caused by private stalls could complicate manoeuvring for those that require extra accessibility, which is often easier to do with regular stalls.

Universal accessibility is something that needs to be carefully considered.

Tradition

This might sound weird, but it would be an unwelcome and odd shift if all bathrooms across the country began to integrate private stalls.

It would negatively affect sociability in some bathrooms, as odd as that sounds.

Smaller gaps might be the way forward (Getty Stock Photo)

Arguments to reduce the gaps

But with all of that being said, some people may feel like the gaps ought to be reduced, for a number of reasons:

Improved privacy

Wider doors and smaller gaps would reduce exposure and give some users more space to breath, while parents will be more comfortable helping kids of the opposite gender.

Safety

Larger gaps may make people feel like they are vulnerable to assault, and also allows people to carry out illegal behaviour discretely.

Modesty

Things have changed a lot in the world since the original design was dreamed up, so maybe it's time to fit to the values of society in the 2020s, where having your own space is important.

At the end of the day, depending on the side you're on, the best you can hope is for new buildings to feature the public toilet design you prefer, as it's unlikely that huge establishments will revamp their restrooms overnight.