Most women hoover above toilet seat in public toilets to pee?

This. They are terrible for older people with dodgy knees.

Will you please, please, please just wipe up afterwards? I know every hoverer says she's a urinary Robin Hood with faultless aim and trajectory, but trust me, at least some of you are wrong.

I am out and about a lot - that doesn't mean I use public loos a lot, only when really needed, whether that is bad for my bladder, whether that makes me a neurotic germaphobe etc, etc does not matter, it's been my way of doing things for 50 years, I do not have a problem with infections or anything else and I will continue along the same vein.

Well yes, I think this is causing the confusion. Squat toilets encourage you to squat down with your feet planted, knees high, leaning forward slightly, as you would if going outside. Not to half-hover above a high toilet seat, balancing in the cubicle. Totally different positioning.

Do you only leave your home once a week? Perhaps that’s the difference. I lead a very active life and am often out at work, the gym, kids activities, shopping, the cinema. Of course it would be easier to avoid using public toilets if you left your home very rarely.

For men maybe but a nightmare for many
women wearing trousers or anyone one who is not young with strong legs.

I sit but often have to clean the seat first. I find it ironic that the people who hover because they think the seats are too dirty to sit on are the ones actually making the seats dirty by splashing urine over them.

It would be good if it became common practice in the UK for any set of toilets with 3 or more cubicles to have one of them being a squat toilet. Then the hoveres can use facilities designed for their preferences.

I can't see it getting much use. I was in Turkey last year, where squat toilets are common and there is usually a choice. In some places women were queueing for the sit-down toilet rather than use the squat toilet.

It would be good if it became common practice in the UK for any set of toilets with 3 or more cubicles to have one of them being a squat toilet. Then the hoveres can use facilities designed for their preferences.

I visit a lot of universities as part of my work, and the ones which have a large population of overseas students often have complex infographics up in the lavatories explaining that you should not be attempting to stand on the toilet seat in order to squat above the bowl, but instead need to be seated. A lot of loo seats get broken and there are accidents and injuries apparently.

Squatting with the knees higher than the hips is a much healthier position for relieving oneself. Blame Thomas Crapper.

Proper squat toilets are much better for you.

Why? The standard there, as I understand it, is squat toilets where you adopt a completely different position.

Who hovers once a week?? And how do you know what the whole population of China does?

So what impact does sitting have?

@Jumpingthruhoops - How is your likelihood of inhaling Streptococcus from a toilet seat going to increase if you sit on it? Do you breathe through your arse?
And you have Staphylococcus on your skin anyway. It only becomes an issue if you have open wounds.
People here seem to be unaware that an average-sized person is made up of about 30 trillion human cells and about 40 trillion bacteria. We have evolved to host large numbers of bacteria without coming to harm. The Staphylococcus that lives on our skin all the time is one of the things that protects us from fungal and other bacterial infections.

Bloody auto correct! Huge problems in China where no one sits.

Must be huge problems in Cons where no one sits

There's a lot of hysteria, from people who seem to think humans should be sterile surfaces and are terrified of what horrible illnesses they might contract via the backs of their thighs.

I have it on a doctor’s authority that you are more likely to cause yourself UT problems from not emptying the bladder properly through hovering than you are to catch anything from sitting on a public toilet seat.

I doubt hovering once a week is likely to have much of an impact - there's a wee bit of hysteria creeping into this thread.

Certainly not, never.

How on earth do you go about daily life not touching door handles, lift buttons or anything that another human being touched?

Why not just wash your hands after using the toilet, when you get home and before eating or handling food?

As this argument goes on, can we clarify what is mean by hovering? Is it standing upright and going over the toilet? Or is it like a half squat low over the toilet?

I have hovered my entire life. Hovering = fantastic thighs. 😀

I layer the seat with paper if I have to sit down due to space, luggage, tipsy, etc.

I'd be impressed if you could! 😊

If the seat has pee, or god forbid poo, on it and there's no other option I swear loudly, Jesus Christ people are bloody pigs! Then use paper towel and hand soap to wash it before I can use it. If I have baby with me then I have the diaper bag so am stocked with baby wipes and sanitizing wipes so can clean the seat with those - still swearing about the mess mind you and hoping the offender is the (often) well dressed lady at the sink and knows she's been caught and shamed.

If you hover at least have the courtesy to clean the seat when you are done.