The norm that I have broken for this assignment refers to going into the right bathroom. I chose it to keep track of men’s reactions to women in their restroom. Additionally, considering recent changes to society’s perspectives on gender and self-identity, it was interesting to see whether my use of the seemingly wrong bathroom would cause any questions.
Sex-separated toilets have existed for many decades and in different societies. As per historians, multiple myths surround the very first account of sex-segregation in public restrooms, and gendered bathrooms existed long before 1739 (Carter, 2018). There are several reasons for this norm, including ensuring privacy and preventing sex crimes against women and girls (Carter, 2018).
Before breaking the norm, I was a bit anxious and feared that my behaviors could result in others’ aggression. During the experiment, I was relatively calm, although the feeling of violating men’s privacy made me uncomfortable. After breaking the norm, I did not feel anything special because others thought it had been a mistake.
Last week, I went to one local shopping mall to conduct the experiment and entered men’s bathrooms on three different floors just to wash my hands and brush my hair. All bathrooms were clean and neat, and there were not many people inside. There were large printed signs on the doors to indicate whether the bathroom was for men or women, and each toilet also had accommodations for those with disabilities.
My appearance resulted in different but tactful reactions, mostly from men of the older age. During the first entrance, some men were obviously surprised by my behavior but said nothing, probably assuming that it had to deal with my identity. Thus, I was able to wash my hands in front of them and leave. During the next two attempts, bathroom visitors told me that I must have entered the wrong bathroom and asked me to leave in a polite manner.
The experience has improved my understanding of sanctions discussed in chapter seven of the book. According to OpenStax College (2018), informal sanctions can be manifested in disapproving looks or verbal commands to stop the deviating behavior. The reactions that my experiment yielded were mostly informal sanctions due to being limited to emotional reactions, not attempts to hold me accountable for the violation.
References
Carter, W. B. (2018). Sexism in the bathroom debates: How bathrooms really became separated by sex. Yale Law & Policy Review, 37, 227-297.
OpenStax College. (2018). Deviance, crime, and social control. In Introduction to sociology (2nd ed.). Author.