Research Design Connection: Gender-Inclusive Bathrooms Send Positive Messages
Chaney and Sanchez studied responses to gender-inclusive bathrooms; best practices for designing these sorts of restrooms have been receiving a lot of attention recently, for example here: https://qz.com/933704/how-to-design-transgender-friendly-bathrooms-that-make-people-of-all-genders-feel-safe/. Chaney/Sanchez report that “While gender-inclusive bathrooms serve a practical function of providing a safe public restroom for transgender individuals, they may also signal identity safety [in other words, fairness] for women and racial minorities who may experience identity threat in organizations…we demonstrated that women…and racial minorities (Blacks, Latinos;…) report greater procedural fairness [i.e., less discrimination] and a more positive gender…or racial…climate in organizations with gender-inclusive bathrooms compared to traditional bathrooms. Further, these effects were due to…gender-inclusive bathrooms…signaling more egalitarian social environments.” Kimberly Chaney and Diana Sanchez. “Gender-Inclusive Bathrooms Signal Fairness Across Identity Dimensions.” Social Psychological and Personality Science, in press. Sally Augustin, PhD, a cognitive scientist, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesignconnections.com), a monthly subscription newsletter and free daily blog, …
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