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Original poster

Women's toilets (lack of)

39 replies

SnozzberryPie · 09/10/2015 17:36

I've just moved to a new office and there are only two women's toilets for the whole building. I'm not sure how many people work there but enough that there is often a queue and the lack of toilets is a common cause of complaints amongst female staff.

The men's toilets are in a room of the same size as the women's, but as well as two cubicles there are (apparently - I haven't actually been in to investigate!) also two urinals.

I should also mention that the office is around two thirds to three quarters female.

This set me thinking about how it is accepted that women will have to queue for the toilet and men won't. Why is this? Wouldn't it be fairer if women's toilets in all public places had the same amount of cubicles as men's have urinals and cubicles in total, even if that means they take up a larger area? Why don't we at least design new buildings like this?

Or am I over thinking this? I am heavily pregnant and spend a lot of time queuing for the loo, so I might be Wink

OP posts:
Penfold007 · 10/10/2015 15:00

www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/toilets.htm

HSE guide to toilets to employee ratios. Interesting that it's mixed/women and then men only. Maybe your place of work needs to designate more of the existing facilities as women's toilets.

Original poster
SnozzberryPie · 10/10/2015 14:51

Alass have you ever used a she wee? You can wee standing up in trousers. Great for festivals.

OP posts:
EBearhug · 10/10/2015 10:19

the women at work spent all their time walking round looking for a free loo.
I do that, too, but that's because the cleaners appear to have some psychic connection to my bladder and close the nearest loos just as I want to go in there.

thegiddylimit · 10/10/2015 01:25

In a work situation the building infrastructure may not have caught up with the fact that there are more women working these days. I work in a field that historically would have been very male but is now 50:50. About 10 years ago we had to ask for one of the toilets to be redesignated as a female toilet because the women at work spent all their time walking round looking for a free loo.

ALassUnparalleled · 10/10/2015 01:18

Perhaps this wouldn't be such an issue if more women were taught how to pee standing up, thus able to have urinals too

Wouldn't that only work if one wore a skirt or a dress? I'm not particularly squeamish but having encountered the odd toilet from hell I have done it. It's not difficult wearing a dress, not sure how you'd manage with trousers or jeans. Having to resort to going behind a bush is much easier wearing a dress or skirt or a dress too.

Original poster
SnozzberryPie · 10/10/2015 00:24

It's even worse in public toilets as women often have children with them, so there are more people using the ladies.

Most of the men peeing in the street have drunk too much beer!

OP posts:
BartholinsSister · 10/10/2015 00:05

Perhaps this wouldn't be such an issue if more women were taught how to pee standing up, thus able to have urinals too.

EBearhug · 09/10/2015 23:40

They can have prostate problems which cause them to need to pee more frequently.

But men do only need the loo for pee and poo. Women have to deal with menstruation as well, and sanitary bins take some room in the cubicle. So I would say they have more toilet needs than men in any case.

grimbletart · 09/10/2015 22:55

and do men get as much stress incontinence?

I don't know Disco…but I know it's generally not women you see peeing in the street. I always thought men must have weaker bladders.

EBearhug · 09/10/2015 22:29

Here's the HSE guidelines - www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/toilets.htm

DiscoGoGo · 09/10/2015 20:56

YY toilets as feminist issue!

Massive queues
Lack of public toilets making things tricker for women than men (maybe?) - thinking menstruation, pregnancy and needing a pee the whole time, and due to childbirth and stuff I think women are generally a bit less continent than men as they get older? I was saying to DH earlier after a sneeze that I suddenly realised why older women go for a pee the whole time it's to avoid accidents in part + weaker bladder less control (I speak as someone who has had 2 children so not brilliant in this dept myself!) and do men get as much stress incontinence?

Anyway yes that sounds rubbish shouldn't they be changing one of the gents to a ladies if the office is majority women and there's queues?

winchester1 · 09/10/2015 17:51

The health and safety at work regs have an acop (approved code of practice) that has a table showing how many toilets are needed in relation to the amount of staff. It's on the hse (health and safety executive) website. Sorry can't link from my phone.

As a general musing, yh it is weird and I dint get why not just have individual cubicles and unisex toilets so we are all in the same boat.

Original poster
SnozzberryPie · 09/10/2015 17:43

Maybe, it might be something to look into although I only have a few weeks left till mat leave kicks in so I'm not sure if I cba Smile

I was just musing more generally on the subject...

OP posts:
winchester1 · 09/10/2015 17:39

Not what your asking but aren't there building regs and health and safety rules that stipulate the amount of toilets needed for x amount of people.

(sorry this is my work area but i don't live in the UK so I'm not sure.)

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