If you had to brainstorm ways to improve gender parity among American parents, you’d probably start with paid maternity leave or making sure mothers are compensated as well as fathers. And sure, all of those things would be nice! But providing baby changing stations in both men’s and women’s bathrooms would go a surprisingly long way, too.
Right now, while many public women’s restrooms have baby changing stations installed in them, many men’s rooms do not — so many, in fact, that it sometimes feels like a conspiracy of the patriarchy to ensure that men never have to change diapers.
This is unfair, and we all know it, so it’s good news that today, noted feminist dad President Obama signed into law the Babies Act, which will ensure that all restrooms in federal buildings — even the ones for men! — will now have places to change babies. It’s only federal buildings, sure, but it’s a start.
