Can anyone explain the thinking behind men putting the toilet seat down?

Question

In my family when I was growing up (2 males, 2 females), we all shared a toilet, and my dad and brother put the seat where they wanted (usually up) and mum and I put it where we wanted (down). No issues, no problems.

After I became an adult, I discovered from television and so on that there was like this whole culture of jokes etc based around men not putting the toilet seat down, as if it was something they had done "wrong".

Is there any actual logic behind this idea, and in the real world, do real women care where their toilet seat goes? If so, how on earth does it trouble you?

And where/when did this idea start? Is it an American thing, an urban thing, or a 90s thing?

Answer 1

Where/when did this idea start?

a. american thing

b. urban thing

c. 90s thing

d. all of the above

Answer 2

I know this isnt a rule, but men do handle their member when they pee.

So, there it is, he'll wash his hands (hopefully).So go ahead and touch the seat before use, and after.

If he puts the seat up, he wont pee on it and give the lady a wet butt. I dont think woman expect to sit on a wet seat, always a nasty surprise for me.( thanks to man peeing in the dark)

Is not a 90's thing. Probably started after indoor plumbing was a household thing.

So if he puts it up, well, then he can put it down.

If I have to put the seat down, then I've contaminated my hand before I've used the toilet.



This is how I won the situation at my house with 3 males. Figure that most everyone has to sit to poop. So thats 2 of 2 for a woman to have the seat down and 1 or 2 for a man's possible preference.So if we each used the toilet twice a day, then the seat would be down 5 times and up 3. Down wins.

Its up to him to raise and lower the seat, he's going to be touching other things anyway.

Yes, it is very gross to sit on cold porcelin or droplets on a seat.

I think a man must concede b/c he is proud of his gas either way, (inviting an intro by pulling his finger, and sometimes without regard to being in public or private). Man often just scratches his clothing in key places no matter who he is talking to or where. And old men close off a nostril lean a bit and force out anything in his other nostril, usually over a sewer but not always. Then theres the matter of spitting, and also spitting out of a moving vehicle.These and other things convince me that man has an abnormal delight or indifference to what comes out of their bodies. (how many delight in having plugged up the toilet and even happy to plunge?)

So we ladies prefer cleanliness. Guys, just put the seat back down. Its 5 to 3 here.

Answer 3

I learned in the Navy to put the seat up for sanitary reasons. When the seat is up it stays dry and helps prevent parasites and germs from growing there.



I think a girl who falls in has no excuse, she should look/feel first. Why does it seem that only girls feel the right to make up rules ?



Besides, if the seat is kept up won't it be kept cleaner. I always clean up any mess, as rarely as that happens. Maybe some guys put the seat down to hide their mess ?



Sexi lesi (posted below): You have no clue ! 20 FEET ! Do you even know how far that is ? That is ridiculous. That is the depth of the average garage ! You are full of it. Besides, fecal matter grows everywhere in the bathroom and the house. Go to Mythbusters site and see for your self. Toothbrushes always have fecal bacteria growing on them no matter what you do according to their in depth testing.



Are you saying that the US Navy doesn't know what it is talking about ? You silly twit !

Answer 4

This comes from the few women who accidentally sit in the toilet because the seat was up and get stuck. This happens because they form a seal around the toilet and a vacuum is created. I have heard stories from my paramedic friends about having to rescue women who were stuck in the toilet.

Answer 5

My fiance and i have talked about this, and neither of us really care. I have to put the seat down when i go in, and he puts the seat up, not much thinking involved unless ive had a little too much to drink. I think its more of a deal for a man not putting the seat down, because hes not sitting to pee no matter what, we are. so if he forgets to put the seat up and pees on it, hes probably not going to clean it up anyway, if he doesnt put the seat down and we dont notice, we fall in the toilet.

Answer 6

Well, some women say that the issue is if they get up in the night and don't notice the seat is up, they might try to sit down in their grogginess and fall in, or bruise their butt on the rim. personally, I've never had that happen and always seem to notice if it's up. But, if it's the woman's own house or apartment, and the boyfriend is visiting, it might be appropriate to request this if she is worried about that. But yeah, I think the joke sort of took on a life of it's own. Most people don't seem to have a problem with it.

Answer 7

I work in a medical field and putting the toilet seat and lid down when flushing keeps germs from spraying during the flush. Keeping the lid and the seat down is more sanitary and men do actually sit for part of the time as well. Plus if you have pets it is not the cleanest watering dish for them to be sipping from.

Answer 8

I hate doing it because it is all nasty and scummy, but I do it anyway because I know that some people hate having the toilet seat up instead of down. It doesn't matter why people feel a certain way about, you just do whatever you can to make them feel comfortable.

Answer 9

I'm a big fan of putting the toilet seat down, since I have nearly fallen in and frozen my tush on more than one occasion. It's quite an alarming experience. Plus there is an additional germ factor if you have to constantly handle the seat, though I suppose men are already dealing with this.



I guess I would mention that both men and women will be requiring the seat down at times, and only men occasionally need it up. So a thoughtful guy puts it down, or tries to remember to, anyhow.

Answer 10

I just kinda forget the whole argument and leave it down. This way i can never be blamed for leaving the toilet seat up. If she doesnt like sitting on pee pee then she can start putting it up or stop complaining about it being left up.

Answer 11

Well, since I live in a house with my wife and 3 daughters (I'm the only male). I put the seat down simply out of fear.

Just kidding. I put the seat down just to be nice. If I forget, some one may end up with a wet butt. My mom tried to teach me to put it down, and I guess it worked.

Answer 12

its a gender issue honey,



i myself dont see whyt his can be a point of argument, however, i myself, dislike the idea of going to the toilet and seeing the toilet seat up... with a few dropslings of uring at the mouth of the bowl (ewww gross)- one of the reasons why men had to put the seat up...



anyway, it actually is a sign of sensitivity for both sexes :)



men should put the seat down after their deed, likewise, women should put the seat up after their done.



thats just my two cents

Answer 13

Only touch the toilet seat as little as possible

Answer 14

my boyfriend puts the toilet seat down to be nice. he's always done that for as long as i've known him. it's really nice when he does. now i'm hoping that he'll teach our son the same thing when he gets older.

Answer 15

This is just to make everyone laugh :P



When I was a kid, my sisters and I had our own bathroom at my dad's house since our bedrooms were in the basement of a splitlevel house. Since my dad and stepmom never went down there save for basic cleaning when we weren't there, they never used that bathroom.



One weekend, I wake up about 1 in the morning, need to pee. Go into the bathroom that only my sisters and I used, didn't turn on the light as that wakes me up and I'd never get back to sleep, get all set, sit down and promptly end up with my 8-year old bum in the water, legs in the air, wet up to my armpits.



I started cursing, kept trying to get myself out of the toilet in the dark and with water everywhere and kept slipping. My dad comes running down the stairs, opens the door and turns on the light, sees my situation and just burst out laughing which only made me even madder.



Turns out that my stepmom was in t he only upstairs bathroom and Dad really needed to go so he just used our bathroom downstairs and failed to put the seat back down so when I went in the middle of the night, I didn't know it was up since it was NEVER up in that bathroom.

Answer 16

guys have to sit down to do some things too. or sometimes, we want to get away from it all and just sit down for a minute. what's wrong with that?



and if the seat up/down thing is a problem, there are all kinds of things you can buy for the bathroom. motorized, electronic, you name it.

Answer 17

Many women, especially those who have contempt for men complain about leaving the seat up, accompanied by a phobia of falling in during the nighttime.

Answer 18

There's nothing to wake you up like sitting in a cold,wet toilet bowl and 3 am.

Answer 19

It one of those women things. Heck, when I leave the seat down, then they complain I pee all over it, so, it a no win situation.

Answer 20

I put down the LID as well as the seat, that way no one can complain.



Why don't women put down the lid? The lid is there for a purpose, it should be down.

Answer 21

I'm sorry, I can buy the sanitary reasoning, but if you're stupid enough to sit without looking fall into the bowl, you deserve a wet asss.

Answer 22

Bacteria from toilet water and/or fecal material has been routinely found (during bathroom analyses) to be thrown up to 20 feet away during a flush. Do you keep your toothbrush at least 20 feet away from the toilet? Do you? BOTH genders should keep lid and seat down.



Use the toilet, close the lid, flush, walk away. This is the only thing that is guaranteed to keep sh*t and urine off your mirror, toothbrush, etc.



Guy who said it was more sanitary to keep lid up was entirely misinformed.

Answer 23

my mom got mad at me for not putting it down once. she got up in the middle of the night and sat down and fell in the toilet because the seat was up. after that night i have always remembered to put the seat down.

Answer 24

I´ve almost fallen in...



I had the opposite problem of you... in my house the toilet seat was always down (2 girls, 2 guys).. I guess I was lucky. I didn´t know guys left it up until I saw it on tv.



It just looks better to leave the toilet seat down, and it´s always more considerate for the guys to leave it how they found it.

Answer 25

When you get up in the middle of the night to use the washroom and sit on cold porcelin and possible fall in because some inconsiderate person left the seat up you will know why woman want the seat left down

Answer 26

I would assume that it was some form of chivalry, though I grew up in a house of mostly males.

Answer 27

It's just annoying. I don't see why the girls have to complain when it just takes a second to put back down! :]

Answer 28

Girls just find it very annoying to put it back down everytime they go to the bathroom.

Answer 29

Its just it a punchline used in comedic tv shows and movies and some feminists took it all too serious again.

Answer 30

Check this website out. My (weird) gf showed me last week. lol



http://nbtsc.org/~ganimede/stp.html

Answer 31

Then why don't you just urinate standing up. Problem solved. (it's much easier than you think it is to aim.)

Answer 32

Just pee standing up! It's alot funner and less messy!

Answer 33

cuz thye want us to be disgusted