Each month the Department of Social Affairs at the Centre d'analyse stratégique offers a selection of information, innovation and experimentation from abroad.
This overview does not suggest that implementation of these policies would necessarily be relevant in a French domestic context. It consists of subjective choices made by staff members of the department as part of their research and their meetings. It can spark interest, caution or rejection. The goal is first and foremost to help steer the debate on the future of our social model.
In China, a shortage of public toilets for women has raised several protests. Gan Duanrong, Policy Advisor in the Fujian province and leader of the women's association Quanzhou, filed a motion in the local assembly to make male latrines throughout the region available for both sexes. At Canton, twenty women have recently occupied public toilets for men, holding placards demanding more toilets for women and equal waiting time for both sexes. Their work has generated considerable interest in the media and on the internet. The shortage is explained by the fact that Chinese women have only recently started to participate in activities needing them to use public places since they traditionally stayed at home. Some cities have initiated major investments. At the Olympic Games, Beijing invested 30 million euros to renovate its 3,700 public toilets.
Sources: information sites from China today, 08/02/2012 and RTL Belgium, 02.24.2012
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You can naturally add to this overview by sending any information you consider relevant to the following contact: Sylvain Lemoine, Head of the Department of Social Affairs: sylvain.lemoine@strategie.gouv.fr