If the lid’s not down, the cat (or dog) will get into it. How about that for a gender-neutral reason to keep the lid down?
My well-trained brother never complains about this, and I never find the lid up in the bathroom we share. What’s the big deal?
Kalt and mangeorge pretty much have it. Look, women don’t want to be reminded of what pigs we are; it’s not that big of deal to put the seat down (after wiping the rim) and it shows the girl that you’re considerate.
Do you want to come off as a clod to women and argue the point or just accept it as something we have to do?
I just saw the OP is a woman; so … yeah.
It always pisses me off when someone leaves the seat or lid down. What if it’s the middle of the day, its time to have a piss, and I’m distracted by the rabid badger in the shower? I’m going to piss all over the lid/seat.
In fact, I’m going to have a piss now. That seat better be up because I’m pretty sure I heard badgers this morning.
At a woman’s house they want it down. At a guys house, up.
I wonder how they decide if they are married?
I am very nearsighted. I can’t see the differnce between seat up or down in the middle of the night unless I turn the light on and put my glasses on. I know because I have looked, thought I saw the seat down, and sat and fell in. If I put on my glasses and turn on the light, I am so thoroughly awake, getting back to sleep is difficult.
Seat goes down. I would not live with any one who made an issue of this rule.
Ok, here’s the bottom line, assuming you’re talking about one male and one female: A man needs the seat down **part ** of the time, and a woman needs the seat down **all ** the time. So there’s a greater than 50 percent chance the next person will need the seat down. So leave it down.
Of course the math gets a little more complicated if the males outnumber the females.
And for those of you who go in complete darkness, don’t leave the**lid **down, unless you want the guy peeing on it.
Of course if we all were lesbians, we’d avoid this issue entirely.
Ja mein kommondant! 
Us men have to roll over and do as we are told on this issue. Its just the way things are. I started a thread on this exact subject not too long ago, and I seem to remember that was the general consensus:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=165425
I was once hospitalized, and it was 2 weeks before I was able to get someone to take care of my cat. During that time the cat survived on houseplants and water from the toilet. Since then, I never leave home with the seat down.
You know, this is one of those issues I just had to stop caring about with my bf. He’s going to do what he does, and the more I gripe about it, the more he’s going to make a point of leaving the damn thing up. So. I pick my battles. And when I stumble to the bathroom in complete darkness in the middle of the night (yes, it happens – I don’t need lights to pee, I don’t have to aim anywhere! 
), I put my hand down there first to see if the seat is down.
As a benefit, the less I gripe, the more likely he is to put the seat back down.
Jess
Sanitary reasons. I put the lid down before I flush, and I’ve taught my children the same thing.
Some weird scientist guy did some research on the germs that waft into the air when you flush. Ick…just ick.
Put the lid down.
~J
After you’ve just dumped a pile of crap into the bowl and stunk out the bathroom, I doubt if “germs that waft in the air when you flush” is the biggest worry you have, unless they are special killer germs.
The whole “projectile of icky missiles” after a flush is a good reason to leave it ALL down. Plus, if you have little kids around, they can fall into the toilet head-first and drown.
It’s not really a big deal to me personally, though, as a woman. My hubby leaves it down, but I wouldn’t freak out if he didn’t, unless the rim looked nasty–that’s just gross.
However, when I was a kid (with a skinny butt), my dad used to leave it up, and I went in to use it in the middle of the night one night. I was about half-asleep when I sat down–and fell in. All the way. I was basically folded in half, wedged in there pretty good. I’m not sure how what year it was, but I’m pretty sure it was winter, 'cause the water was really cold. It took me quite a while to wiggle myself out. I’m not sure what the moral of that story is; it just seemed like a good time to share.
I just noticed that I used quite a few indefinite pronouns (all “its,” I think) in my post. The it that my dad left up was, of course, the toilet seat. The it I used in the middle of the night was the toilet. and the it that was winter was a season. Just in case anyone needs clarification.
There was a gadget being sold (I think it was in Skymall) that projects a light into the toilet bowl depending on the state of the seat. It serves several purposes:
- Helps “him” and “her” find the thing in the dark.
- If the seat is up, it projects a red target on the water for him to aim at and to warn her.
- If the seat is down, it projects a green light to reassure her and help both find the toilet.
I googled a little but couldn’t find it.
Google harder.
I think it’s an issue because some men (not saying all, but a large percentage) often hit the toilet a bit to the side, making the edge icky and forgetting to dry it off - and no, I don’t feel like sitting in that.
Tikster
I put the lid and seat down after usage to prevent the dog from having a midnight drink.
Any why don’t you want your poor dog to have a drink?
Final analysis: it’s a lot easier to put the lid down than to put up with all the yammering. It makes no difference that it is just as inconvenient for him to put the lid up as it is for her to put the lid down. It’s the incessant yammering that makes the difference. It’s a power struggle thing. She wins because he will probably die first.