Men get their own loos - women's made unisex!

I also remember the no ladies loos excuse being given to me by a company I'd applied to. Unisex name on cv so they called me for interview without realising

And having to go to a different building to have access to a toilet because they'd only put men's toilets in the whole building (many occasions, different buildings).

Isn't it "illegal" to have mixed toilets, where the cubicle walls and door are floor to ceiling and have self contained wash basins?

They left the men with single sex provision and made the ladies open to everyone unisex.

Extra crazy because everyone knows the ladies is busier than the gents. The gents has urinals, the ladies doesn't. Obviously if one is to be made unisex it should be the gents. They didn't do that though.

For women who aren't allowed to be alone with strange men, or don't want to be alone with strange men it's a massive issue.

For young women embarrassed about periods and not wanting to be in a cubicle next to a man while they grapple with sanitary products it's a big deal.

For women with small children and pushchairs who can't quite close the door properly but doesn't mind too much because it's only other women in there it's important.

For the woman with children old enough to be left outside the cubicle and wait it's reassuring that only other women and children will be in that space.

For women needing to escape on a night out from a 'handsy' man or a bad date it's a good place to go.

It's not just about you. Is it

I'm sure that the rationale for this will be that men's toilets have urinals, so can't be made mixed sex

I am sooooo old that I can remember when "not enough loos" or "No ladies toilets" was the excuse used not to employ women in many many jobs and sectors of employment (scientists, engineers, mechanics)

I'm happy for urinals to remain - they make sense if you're peeing standing up, far more than peeing in a toilet bowl and getting the piss everywhere. Also happy for toilets with urinals to be unisex if that's what men are happy with, but I want a choice of a single sex space for me, or at worst, and individual lockable cubicle with a self contained sink.

Anyway it's against the Equality Act 2010

This. Times a thousand.

I honestly don't get all this, at my place of work we don't have gendered toilets because every toilet is a lockable cubicle and each lockable cubicle has a sanitary bin in it .. if they're behind a locked door what does it matter if the person inside using it standing up or sitting down or has inny or outy genitals? I am not bothered by seeing men or anyone else wash their hands, which is all that happens in the communal space so... what's the issue? Honestly? Lots of places like coffee shops only have one bathroom for everyone - men/women/babychange/accessible users.. we cope then? Isn't this a non-issue?

Slightly off topic, but I am starting to think we need a movement to ban urinals

We all know that if there's not a convenient toilet to wee in, they'll just wee up a building or whatever. It's unacceptable, and probably illegal, and yet it always happens. Banning Urinals will just mean more men weeing places we don't want them to.

I live in the area too and I’m disgusted. I hadn’t thought to email my MP. I will be doing so. I will not be going.

If it's OK for women to share, it's OK for men to share. Who cares about the Urinals - what's the problem there? Are they suggesting that men might like some privacy from women when urinating? Are they suggesting that women/girls might be damaged some how by seeing men urinating? Both?

If it's fine for mixed toilets, I can't see what difference urinals make - after all, what's to be seen? Or are they suggesting that men might show their penis to women on purpose at urinals? What's to stop them doing that in the toilets formally known as women's then?

It's just lazy thinking.

Slightly off topic, but I am starting to think we need a movement to ban urinals
No, we really don't. Most men prefer urinals to piss in, respect that.

I used the men's when I was pregnant and the ladies had queues.I was only politely told I was in the gents and they seemed ok as I was heading for the cubicles.Did it a few times after when DD was small.
I rarely us toilets when out and about,I have used a few unisex and dislike paddling in stinky wee and wet seats before we even tackle the other problems.

Even if you make them both unisex, it still means in practice that the men have a single sex space (since the vast majority of women won't want to walk past men pissing at urinals and they also tend not to have very many cubicles), and the women's is a free for all.

Another issue of unisex cubicles in a row (as women's toilets tend to be) is that apparently it's common for men to leave the door open if they're using a cubicle to piss in and I've read several reports of a lack of behaviour change in this regard when men use spaces that were previously for women - so the women's toilets become defacto urinals as well.

So women's provision is reduced (as men can now come into the ladies, but we all know women will not go into the mens, because who wants to walk past the urinals?). This despite the fact that women need more provision than men (due to periods, Urinary infection rate, pregnancy etc meaning women spend longer so need more provision not less). I would ask for the report justifying this reduction in female provision.

Should just make the men's unisex also. usually men's have only a few cubicles and are predominantly urinals.

I'm sure that the rationale for this will be that men's toilets have urinals, so can't be made mixed sex.

Slightly off topic, but I am starting to think that we need a movement to ban urinals. It would mean that:

1. Men would have to cue for longer at public toilets so perhaps buildings would be built with bigger toilet facilities- and since the space for female toilets seems to be based on the space needed for men, we might get better facilities too.
2. No excuse for men to have their penises out other behind a closed cubicle door so easier to spot indecent behaviour (eg flashing at young boys). Might also make it easier for fathers to take young daughters to the toilet.
3. All toilets are cubicle only so no reason why the male toilet can't become unisex if that's what they want.

Have you contacted them direct?
I'd ask what their rationale is and for a copy of the impact assessment.

Complain.
It's discriminatory. Women are being treated less favourably because of their sex. Arguably a breach of the Equality Act..

Mens loos have less cubicles than women's but still need them obviously.

The comments section says there are new toilets (by debenhams?) So hard to know if any female only loos at all.

If they have male only but not female only, they are discriminating on the grounds of sex. Not on.

*small

I saw this as a proposal at a samll railway station recently.