Men, Women, And The Toilet Seat Phenomena

One of the reasons I created this blog is to discuss the dynamics between the male and female personae. This morning I read an article on Nairaland.com about 20 things a woman should never do, and one of the people who commented said "also, remember to always put the toilet seat back up". 

Apparently there's this long war over the toilet seat between men and women.I don't understand what the war is all about though. The issue of men leaving the seat up or putting it back down after use, particularly for the benefit of women is a perennial topic of discussion and light humor, with it generally argued that leaving the seat up is more efficient, but putting it down is more considerate. The first claim is that men should raise the toilet seat when they go to urinate. Well, this much is obvious. You're not supposed to pee through the toilet seat as a man, unless you're sitting on it......it is said. The point of contention here isn't raising the toilet seat, however, but lowering it. The classic "nag" I hear over and over is about men leaving the toilet seat up. Personally, I am a woman, but I love having my toilet seat up. Does that mean I have more testosterone than the average woman?. I don't think so. I am still trying to understand why i prefer it that way though, because I won't be caught dead using the toilet with the seat down..

Well, let's look at it, shall we?

Option A

• Man goes to the toilet to urinate
• Man raises the toilet seat, left down by the woman
• Man does his business
• Man lowers the toilet seat

• Woman goes to the toilet for her business
• Woman does nothing to the seat
• Woman does her business
• Woman does nothing to the seat

Conclusion: In this model, men do all the work, while women do absolutely nothing. This is the womens' preferred model, of course, and this is what the classic "nag" is all about.

Option B

• Man goes to the toilet to urinate
• Man raises the toilet seat, left down by the woman
• Man does his business
• Man leaves the seat up

• Woman goes to the toilet for her business
• Woman lowers the toilet seat, left up by the man
• Woman does her business
• Woman leaves the seat down

Conclusion: In this model, men raise the seat, women lower the seat. Equal amount of work for both parties.

Option C

• Man goes to the toilet to urinate
• Man raises the toilet lid as well as the toilet seat, left down by whoever visited the toilet last
• Man does his business
• Man lowers the toilet seat as well as the lid

• Woman goes to the toilet for her business
• Woman raises the toilet lid, left down by whoever visited the toilet last
• Woman does her business
• Woman lowers the toilet lid

Conclusion: If you have a lid on your toilet, why is it ever open? It's there for a reason. You're meant to close it when you use the toilet, preferably before flushing, mainly because during flushing, a very large amount of water vapor, and with it bacteria as well as fecal matter and the sort, is sprayed out from the toilet due to the rushing water. There are very graphic examples of this online if you're interested. Thus, this model is equal for both parties, as well as the most hygienic.

So there you have it. As I said in the beginning, I personally don't understand what the fuss is about, though.

Where I live, we have lids on our toilets, and for me I leave my the lid and seat up always, but I don't break my head or go ballistic if I have a guest who's preference is leaving the seat down. I just put It back up!. I like to think that's compromise.

What's your preferred model of toilet seat etiquette?