Who are the ‘dames pipi’?

They are the people – mainly women – who run and maintain public lavatories in major towns and cities in France, notably those at railway stations. In English we might call them ‘restroom attendants’.

They collect any fees from customers, maintain and clean facilities – which may include showers as well as toilets – ensure that these areas are properly stocked with toilet paper and soap, and may sell additional hygiene products as necessary.

France’s restroom attendants have been in the news recently after a petition was launched following the dismissal of one attendant at the Montparnasse rail station. She was reportedly dismissed because she accepted a €1 tip from a customer.

At the time of writing, the petition – calling for the worker’s reinstatement, and her salary backdated – had nearly 34,000 signatures.

How long has France had ‘dames pipi’?

Well over a century. Marcel Proust mentioned one in his novel À la recherche du temps perdu. They are, however, much less common these days, and you’ll really only see staffed public conveniences in areas of heavy tourism, or at larger railway stations.

These days, restroom attendants earn minimum wage in France.

Should we boycott SNCF, then?

It wasn’t them, although the loo in question was at Montparnasse. The service is run and maintained by a company called 2theloo.

So, we shouldn’t tip them?

Good question. Restroom attendants used to be able to accept tips to supplement their wages, but the firm that the woman worked for insists that these gratuities are not to be kept personally.

That’s why she was dismissed, according to media reports. It’s probably advisable not to tip to avoid a similar incident, or at least to ask before tipping.

Hang on, though… Isn’t the term ‘dame pipi’ offensive?

Yes it is. Many people nowadays see it as highly disrespectful, reductive, and about 50 years out of date. It’s very much a colloquial term that’s rooted in the past. But it still appears in the press – maybe because it fits a headline. And then we have to explain what one is, and why the term is offensive.

More formally, and on any job descriptions, employees who carry out this sort of work are referred to as an agent d’accueil et d’entretien – reception and maintenance worker.