Editing Defecation (section)

== Society and culture ==
===Open defecation===
{{main|Open defecation}}

[[Open defecation]] is the human practice of defecating outside (in the open environment) rather than into a [[toilet]]. People may choose fields, bushes, forests, ditches, streets, canals or other open space for defecation. They do so because either they do not have a toilet readily accessible or due to traditional cultural practices.<ref name="ClasenBoisson2014">{{cite journal | vauthors = Clasen T, Boisson S, Routray P, Torondel B, Bell M, Cumming O, Ensink J, Freeman M, Jenkins M, Odagiri M, Ray S, Sinha A, Suar M, Schmidt WP | display-authors = 6 | title = Effectiveness of a rural sanitation programme on diarrhoea, soil-transmitted helminth infection, and child malnutrition in Odisha, India: a cluster-randomised trial | journal = The Lancet. Global Health | volume = 2 | issue = 11 | pages = e645-53 | date = November 2014 | pmid = 25442689 | doi = 10.1016/S2214-109X(14)70307-9 | doi-access = free | url = https://researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk/id/eprint/2026643/1/Effectiveness%20of%20a%20rural%20sanitation%20programme_GOLD%20VoR.pdf }}</ref> The practice is common where [[sanitation]] infrastructure and services are not available. Even if toilets are available, [[Behavior change (public health)|behavior change]] efforts may still be needed to promote the use of toilets.

Open defecation can pollute the environment and cause health problems. High levels of open defecation are linked to high [[child mortality]], poor [[undernutrition|nutrition]], [[poverty]], and large disparities between rich and poor.<ref name="JMP2014">{{cite book|url=http://www.susana.org/en/resources/library/details/2036|title=Progress on drinking water and sanitation, 2014 Update|date=2014|publisher=WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation (JMP)|isbn=9789241507240|access-date=2020-04-21|archive-date=2015-04-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402115029/http://www.susana.org/en/resources/library/details/2036|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{rp|page=11}}

Ending open defecation is an indicator being used to measure progress towards the [[Sustainable Development Goal 6|Sustainable Development Goal Number 6]]. [[Extreme poverty]] and lack of sanitation are statistically linked. Therefore, eliminating open defecation is thought to be an important part of the effort to eliminate poverty.<ref name="Ahmad">{{cite news|url=https://www.devex.com/news/how-to-eliminate-open-defecation-by-2030-84634|title=How to eliminate open defecation by 2030| vauthors = Ahmad J |date=30 October 2014|access-date=2 May 2016|website=devex}}</ref>

=== Anal cleansing after defecation ===
{{main article|Anal hygiene}}
The [[anus]] and [[buttocks]] may be [[anal hygiene|cleansed]] after defecation with [[toilet paper]], similar paper products, or other absorbent material. In many cultures, such as Hindu and Muslim, water is used for anal cleansing after defecation, either in addition to using toilet paper or exclusively. When water is used for anal cleansing after defecation, toilet paper may be used for drying the area afterwards. Some doctors and people who work in the science and [[hygiene]] fields have stated that switching to using a [[bidet]] as a form of anal cleansing after defecation is both more hygienic and more environmentally friendly.<ref>{{cite news |last= Rickett |first= Oscar |date= 11 February 2018 |title= The bottom line: why it's time the bidet made a comeback |url= https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2018/feb/11/the-bottom-line-why-its-time-the-bidet-made-a-comeback |work= The Guardian |access-date= 29 May 2019}}</ref>

=== Mythology and tradition ===
[[File:Caganer back.png|thumb|160px|The ''[[caganer]]'' is a defecating figurine in Spanish [[nativity scene]]s.]]
Some peoples have culturally significant stories in which defecation plays a role. For example:
*In an [[Alune people|Alune]] and [[Wemale]] legend from the island of [[Seram]], [[Maluku Islands|Maluku Province]], [[Indonesia]], the mythical girl [[Hainuwele]] defecates valuable objects.<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1093/acref/9780195156690.001.0001 |title=The Oxford Companion to World Mythology |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-19-515669-0 }}</ref>
*One of the [[traditions of Catalonia]] ([[Spain]]) relates to the ''[[caganer]]'', a [[figurine]] depicting the act of defecation which appears in [[nativity scene]]s in [[Catalonia]] and neighbouring [[Catalan Countries|areas with Catalan culture]]. The exact origin of the ''caganer'' is lost, but the tradition has existed since at least the 18th century.<ref name="BBC News">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12059969|title=A traditional Nativity scene, Catalan-style|website=BBC News |date=23 December 2010|access-date=23 December 2010}}</ref>

=== Psychology ===
Some aspects of [[psychology]] surround the act of defecation. There is an inherent desire for privacy among humans. [[Sigmund Freud|Freud]] stipulated a second stage of development, the [[Anal stage|Anal Stage]], which centers around the release of waste from the bladder and bowels. He categorized two types: ''[[anal retentive]]'' and [[Anal expulsiveness|''anal expulsive'']].