The clothing store I just visited had a sale on. I duly went in and looked at the jeans. The prices looked OK, but then I realised this was the women s section. Where was the men s section? Upstairs (several flights of stairs) of course.

Then there was the time I went to a bar to get some peanuts. Nature called and i needed a bathroom break. The women s bathroom s were right beside us. And where were the men s bathrooms? Downstairs. Down a narrow tunnel in a shady basement to be precise.

And finally of course there was the time my friends and i were performing at a festival. The women s changing rooms were front and centre right near the stage. And the mens' rooms? Up several flights of stairs. Of course.

In times past, this was done as a courtesy to women and girls; but in a time when women are given the same job and housing opportunities as men, the message seems clear. Men don't matter as much.

Feminists talk about male privelege but I wonder what they'd say if they were the ones forced to go up or down a lot of stairs to use the same facilities as men. And yes we are used to this but I wonder what effect this has on our young men, being railroaded to basement (or attic) level.

Your thoughts?