Title: Gender and Space in Architecture: Public Toilets, Kitchens, and the Struggle for Equality

Author: Minghui Xu

Year: 2025

Abstract: This study explores how architecture shapes and enforces gender roles, focusing on two everyday but deeply politicised spaces: public toilets and kitchens. Drawing on feminist theory and intersectional analysis, it traces how public toilets have historically excluded women and non-binary individuals from public life, while kitchens have confined women to invisible domestic labor. Through case studies such as the Frankfurt Kitchen and the Jagonari Women’s Centre, the work examines how design can either reinforce or resist gender norms. It argues that inclusive and culturally sensitive design must go beyond surface-level solutions to address deep-rooted inequalities tied to class, race, ability, and gender identity. This research advocates for an architectural practice grounded in care, access, and equity—one that supports real social change by centering diverse lived experiences.