What do others do? Long queues for women's loos....

I wait. I don't want men in my loo and I'm pretty certain they don't want me in theirs either. I know I definitely don't want to be in theirs. The only times I'm ever in a men's loo is when I'm not watching where I'm going and accidentally walk in to the wrong one. The smell jolts you into realisation before sight of the urinals or actual men does. 🤢

If I'm very very desperate and can't wait sometimes I'll jump in to wheelchair accessible loo.

I ask loudly if anyone has checked all the cubicals, as soon as I am close to the front I check all the doors, always find some empty. sometimes only 2-3 are being used.

I really don't get it when there are two room/cubicles one marked men and the other women

In some places it's because the building regulations say there must be separate men's and women's toilets, but they don't say anything about single toilets.

I wait. I don't want to risk going in the men's toilets and, IME, men don't like it.

When I was young I will admit I would nip in (with friends and usually in a busy pub whilst under the influence!) but I wouldn't do it now.

I've used the mens since I was about 24.
It's a hole with a seat. I'll use what's available. Simple as.

I wait, i often go the local rep there is only 5 women's toilet's, planner's need to allocate more space for women's toilet's

OP, just wait. It’s not the men using the loo’s fault that the queue for the ladies is too long.

Complain to the providers of loos. Don’t undermine rights to single sex loos with this approach. I’ve absolutely no desire at all to use the mens’ toilets.

• although I can see why this happens as (especially during school holidays) about 70% of the queue is made up of women with small children 🙄

I wait.

However I frequently feel sorry for pregnant women/ those with young children as I think the concept of letting them skip ahead doesn’t seem to happen anymore.

At our local (and very popular) shopping outlet there is ALWAYS a queue a mile long and I recently saw a girl (around 3/4) wet herself whilst waiting in it.

Fair point errol

Weirdest thing is when you get a small queue of ladies outside the one marked women...and no one in the one marked men

I really dont get it when there are two room/cubicles one marked men and the other women

I assume it's to balance the needs of women who can't manage the 'hover' versus blokes who can't aim straight. (But yes... it's daft, they just need to be kept clean)

I will use the mens if they are single toilets in a room

Yep

I really dont get it when there are two room/cubicles one marked men and the other women

If i'm desperate and the queue is long I ask one of the men coming out if there was anyone else in there and if there isn't I nip in.

I wait. I don't think it's fair to use the gents unless you are happy for them to waltz into the ladies too.

I just wait but I will admit it's my bugbear in life. What on earth do other women do in there? I am in and out in a flash and as quickly as humanly possible as generally public loos of any description are not places I want to spend my free time... but everyone else seems to dick about in there for hours.

I think last time I had to wait in a line was when I was in London at a play, so maybe it is more common in the UK.

It's notoriously bad in older theatres where there simply isn't space for more loos.

Airports seem to always have a queue at the ladies loos in the baggage claim area in every country I've been to. Weird.

The only time I can remember DH having to queue but I didn't was when we went to the RHS flower show at Tatton Park last summer. They had several of those large blocks of 'posh portaloos' - I think the ratio was 3:1 female to male, recognising both the usual timing and also the demographics.

I will use the mens if they are single toilets in a room, and I see that a lot here. Increasingly here those are made as unisex and also suitable for disabled persons, and with a change table, so there will be two or three which are identical. I am fine with that, but it tends to be in places where they only need a few toilets.
I would not go into the men's stall area unless it was a serious emergency, and then I would call out first, I've never done this though. I don't care about seeing mens parts, but I think people should be allowed privacy.
I have noticed in the past 10 years I have not often seen lines for women's loos, compared to when I was a kid. I think there has been a change in how they are being designed/allocated so it happens less often - it used to be common at movies but now the theatre has a million stalls in the ladies. I think last time I had to wait in a line was when I was in London at a play, so maybe it is more common in the UK.

I wait and do a bit of planning. So trying to go to the loo at quieter moments or checking the location and not drinking much. It irritates me though. The simple solution is to acknowledge more space is needed for womens toilets

Why? I've never felt physically threatened by women and I don't have any meaningful concerns about being raped or sexually assaulted by women. You can't really translate women's legitimate need for safe spaces to us men.

It isn't only about safety though is it? It is about privacy too and men have the same rights to privacy.

And it's great that you don't mind but some men might and you can't consent on behalf of all men in the same way that I'm not fussed about men in the women's toilets but it isn't up to me.

Women faff around chatting and re doing make up,

Do they? maybe nightclubs and the like need an actual 'powder room' (which is about the only facility I can imagine which might actually be gender rather than sex specific)

I must admit I'm always mystified why most women spend so long in the loo.
If I go in after many women, they're still in their cubicles by the time I've flushed and come out again (and I know because the lady behind me in the queue is still waiting)

They can't ALL be having their periods or taking a lengthy poo.

And it's not just the old ladies with arthritic fingers taking their time either. They're often middle aged or younger.

Maybe I have a speed bladder. Or maybe people are checking their phones and generally just faffing about. In which case, I think people should be more considerate. There are many women with a degree of post childbirth damage (myself included) who just can't hold on.

And no, I still wouldn't bust into the men's loo. Maybe if it was totally empty though and I was utterly desperate.

Cherylshaw fair comment, I am long past the age of going to clubs and the sorts of restaurants where this would happen, so it didn't occur to me!

In fact, on the rare occasion I have had to enter a Gents lav (as a staff member) I have knocked on the door and shouted warnings - ‘is there anyone in here? A female staff member is coming in, I’ll give you a minute to get decent - woooo-female-staff-member-coming-in-now!’

Wait, or go and find another women’s loo.

Men deserve privacy and dignity too - plus, I don’t want to accidentally see a stranger’s cock or step in man-piss or get man-piss on my hands from the exit door - studies say men who use urinals often don’t bother to wash their hands (after touching their cocks).

Bleurgh.
Perhaps I was being too optimistic when I said men deserve dignity - Not All Men!