Land of the Peeing Man

My friends have I have taken to calling India "the Land of the Peeing Man" especially when we see things that just don't seem to make a lot of sense.

Those of you who have been to India know exactly what I am talking about. For example, on my 20 minute ride to work everyday, I see no less than 5-7 men peeing on the side of the road. Every day. I was (and am) perplexed by this phenomenon. At first you think, well, maybe there aren't enough toilets, but I never see a woman squatting to pee on the side of the road.

So, I decided a couple of weeks ago to pose the question to my eldest cousin who was visiting me. First off, it seems that he doesn't see it as any big deal (and probably takes advantage of this from time to time). He believes that the reason is that there are not enough public restrooms. To which, I remarked, first, why not just hold it (seriously, can you not hold it for an extra hour or so until you find a restroom?) and two, if that's the case, why do I never see women on the side of the road?

The answer to number one was simply, why hold it when you don't have to? HA! I guess I had that coming. and the answer to the second, was a bit more infuriating - but probably not terribly untrue - women are not out as much - they are mostly at home so they don't have as great a need to use the public facilities.

I take issue with these responses for a couple of reasons. One, EW - it is just simply unsanitary and unhygenic (is that a word?) to continue this behavior - and we are too civilized (or should be) to just bow to these human urges. And I would prefer, that if you really need to go - walk a little further away from the road, behind a tree or building, so I don't need to see you. Apparently, that is too much to ask.

Which leads me to point number two, India is still a very male driven society, and thy right to pee on the side of the road will not be bowed by any sense of decorum. Women are treated, maybe not as second class citizens, but not on the same par as men. The fact is that while the number of females in the work force does continue to increase every day, it is still greatly outweighed by the number of men in the work force. The number of women who strive for higher education so that they can get their Mrs. has not dwindled greatly.

This is in part due to the culture and societal norms there. It is the norm that once you get married that your husband and his family tell you that you no longer going to work and that your job is take care of house and home. While I see some changes in this regard - it is only in the major cities and then only on occasion. It is still a matter of pride that the husband be the major and only bread winner of the household and that the wife have her role within the house.

So it seems that until women are out of the house and telling their sons and husbands not to pee on the side of the road, or joining them on the side of the road, India will continue to be the Land of the Peeing Man.