The article discusses how the segregation of toilets in workplaces served as a symbolic obstacle for women in science, illustrating deeper societal biases. It highlights stories from the book 'Against the Odds' by John and Mary Gribbin, featuring pioneers like Lise Meitner, who faced toilet-related restrictions at universities, and Lucy Slater, who used the men's toilet to assert her presence. Vera Rubin's achievement in 1964 as the first female astronomer allowed access to major telescopes underscores these gender barriers, which reflect a long-standing issue of discrimination against women in scientific fields regardless of their capabilities.
In the opening years of the twentieth century, physicist Lise Meitner was banished to a basement and had to use the toilets in a neighbouring restaurant due to her gender.
Lucy Slater, while developing an early computer operating system, boldly used the men's toilet, effectively smashing the sanitary glass ceiling in the workplace.
Vera Rubin's breakthrough in 1964 as the first female astronomer allowed to use major telescopes highlights the absurdity of the exclusion based on having no women's toilet.
The toilet issue, while trivial compared to pay inequalities and promotion issues, symbolizes the historical biases against women in science unrelated to their capabilities.
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