To not feel comfortable using work's unisex toilets

[Whatafustercluck]

My employer is moving offices into a different building. All the toilets are unisex. Most of the men seem fine with this (those who made the decision to move there are men) while the women I've spoken with don't feel comfortable about this for various reasons, from cleanliness to embarrassment about male colleagues knowing they're on their period or whatever. I'm really not happy with this, but feel like it's expected to just get on with it and it's considered somewhat old fashioned to think/ feel this way. Aibu?

I suspect some of the cool I'm fine with it gang have never worked in male dominated industry or something like construction or manufacturing. I have experience of them and the attitudes and professionalism of the men can be very different from that of office based jobs.
You do get weird men who like to use any little thing to have power over women. We had to discipline someone who constantly commented when the women went to the toilet ( they had to walk past his work station) he even worked out when they were on their periods by the number of trips they made. He used it to humiliate & embarrass them. If he was comfortable being like that imagine what he'd do in a mixed sex facility.

@Sickoffamilydrama

I suspect some of the cool I'm fine with it gang have never worked in male dominated industry or something like construction or manufacturing. I have experience of them and the attitudes and professionalism of the men can be very different from that of office based jobs. You do get weird men who like to use any little thing to have power over women. We had to discipline someone who constantly commented when the women went to the toilet ( they had to walk past his work station) he even worked out when they were on their periods by the number of trips they made. He used it to humiliate & embarrass them. If he was comfortable being like that imagine what he'd do in a mixed sex facility.

But it's not a mixed sex facility. They are individual self-contained unisex toilets, like the disabled loo is. Some of your imaginations are scary places!

Ticked off another bit of my bingo card.

[quote HalfShrunkMoreToGo]Are they unisex as in self contained cubicles with floor to ceiling doors and sink all in the cubicle.

Or unisex as in, anyone can use them, shared sinks and someone could look under the door?

They are also legally required to provide sanitary bins in each toilet.

Fair play for women have a lot of information that may be useful

fairplayforwomen.com/toilet-provision-in-the-uk/[/quote]
Interesting, our workplace have recently changed all the toilets to unisex, all self contained with basin and hand dryer, yet only half have a sanitary bin inside.

Interesting, our workplace have recently changed all the toilets to unisex, all self contained with basin and hand dryer, yet only half have a sanitary bin inside.

That's because it would cost twice as much. Obviously proper inclusion is only fine if it doesn't have to include women and doesn't cost more money.

Man Hating because we don’t want to share toilets with them😂

This is Mumsnet- most of the women here have male partners and 50% of those with kids will have sons.

Guess what? Most men want sex segregated toilets too, if you ask them.

Gaslighting women about a) their legal rights; and b) their legitimate concerns; and c) their actual experiences, is never a good look.

Quite.

@Ereshkigalangcleg

Gaslighting women about a) their legal rights; and b) their legitimate concerns; and c) their actual experiences, is never a good look.

Quite.

But unisex toilets as described here (individual self-contained units like disabled loos) do of course meet our legal rights requirements. Why stir up such s frenzy over nothing? These are self-contained units, you won't be bumping into anyone else - man or woman - in them!

Just because the requirements in this case are being met, it doesn’t mean people (women and men!) can’t discuss the reasons they dislike unisex loos .

It’s also useful for posters/ readers to learn which provisions are legal and which aren’t. (Unless being educated on legal rights bothers you too).

Only compliant if each individual toilet is a separate room like a disabled toilet. However, some organisations are simply converting toilet blocks which are multi entry.

Why stir up such s frenzy over nothing?

Why are you so exercised about what other people post about? Some people don't like any kind of mixed sex toilet, because they don't want to share their toilet facility with men. They describe why on the thread. It's also about a wider issue.

@334bu

*Interesting, our workplace have recently changed all the toilets to unisex, all self contained with basin and hand dryer, yet only half have a sanitary bin inside.*

That's because it would cost twice as much. Obviously proper inclusion is only fine if it doesn't have to include women and doesn't cost more money.

So theoretically, the ones without a sanitary bin aren't unisex as women cannot always use them.

There were a few grumbles around the time they changed them over and we had a big speech from the ceo about protecting trans rights, which I have no objection to.

Ironically, they fail to see that by not providing the bins in all toilets, they are defeating the point as a trans man may then need to wait or queue for a sanitary bin cubicle, which I'm sure they would be thrilled about

If they’re completely self contained single toilets like in a coffee shop then I would have no issue.
Worked in a building like this with one loo per floor which was a stand alone and it was fine. People used the loo nearest to them and they were clean, looked after etc and no-one could see or hear what was going on in there.
I wouldn’t have wanted to go to another floor to use a sex specific loo.

From OP's latest post:

The toilets will be self contained, with floor to ceiling doors. Wash basins inside each cubicle. I've suggested they dedicate one cubicle for women, one for men, with the remainder unisex, giving people a choice. I'm now on the project group managing the move, so will continue to feed into planning.

Also Handscreen these don't sound the same as the standalone facilities you are talking about. It sounds like a mixed sex block of toilets with certain cubicles possibly being dedicated to males and females (thanks to the OP's intervention), and that isn't the same.

@Whatafustercluck

OK, I have an update.

The toilets will be self contained, with floor to ceiling doors. Wash basins inside each cubicle. I've suggested they dedicate one cubicle for women, one for men, with the remainder unisex, giving people a choice. I'm now on the project group managing the move, so will continue to feed into planning.

Fantastic update OP

@Ereshkigalangcleg

From OP's latest post:

The toilets will be self contained, with floor to ceiling doors. Wash basins inside each cubicle. I've suggested they dedicate one cubicle for women, one for men, with the remainder unisex, giving people a choice. I'm now on the project group managing the move, so will continue to feed into planning.

Also Handscreen these don't sound the same as the standalone facilities you are talking about. It sounds like a mixed sex block of toilets with certain cubicles possibly being dedicated to males and females (thanks to the OP's intervention), and that isn't the same.

If a 'cubicle' has floor to ceiling doors (and I assume walls) and is self-contained (ie has a sink as well), doesn't it become a room in its own right? Its unclear whether these are rooms are directly off a corridor or are rooms within a room, and if they are in a room does that room have any facilities itself (hand dryers, mirrors, bins, etc).

If a 'cubicle' has floor to ceiling doors (and I assume walls) and is self-contained (ie has a sink as well), doesn't it become a room in its own right?

As I said earlier, it's a grey area. The description sounds like it's a block with floor to ceiling enclosed cubicles. It doesn't solve all the problems for women on this thread, it's not just about what is or isn't legal, it's about women's privacy and dignity, comfort and safety. Read the article posted by Clymene which refers to the Home Office and how men didn't bother shutting the doors.

I had to use unisex toilets at the Cliffs of Moher visitor centre. They seemed to have taken down the wall between the Ladies and Gents to create unisex. Around thirty people were in the queue at any time. The stink in the room was horrendous. Many older women looked humiliated to be there, waiting in line with men. Men did not close doors and did leave piss on the seats, the floor, everywhere. I haven't been back to the visitor centre since.

Men did not close doors and did leave piss on the seats, the floor, everywhere

How did you know it was men, @StopStartStop? Women only toilets certainly aren't exempt from pee on the seats.

I remember my grandmother feeling humiliated to be sharing a ward with men when she was in her eighties. I think unisex wards have been done away with now.

They built a new library in our town with new unisex toilets. At first I thought Oh, how modern! I was washing my hands when an old bloke walked out of a cubicle zipping up his flies, and I realised that I didn't like it at all.

Good update OP, sounds like a set up that will now hopefully work for everyone!

Personally I couldn't care less if toilets are unisex or not, for the few minutes I spend in them.

Went to the Grand Theatre in Leeds not long ago. Discovered that there were two rows of toilets for everybody. despite being enclosed etc, I could not see why the more usual division wall between men’s and women’s facilities would not be a better idea, and perfectly possible. I am not comfortable with the assumption that I don’t mind these arrangements...I don’t think the other women there were either. I made a complaint but I doubt if anything happened . If it ain’t broke don’t fix it now seems to have changed to If it ain’t woke we will do anything we can to ensure women’s view don’t matter.

There's a terrible KFC toilet near us that I think is quite dangerous. It's a self contained room with sinks in then doors off to cubicles marked male, female, family, children. It's quite weird to use. I don't go there anymore as I just don't feel comfortable. Have voted with my feet.

But it's not a mixed sex facility. They are individual self-contained unisex toilets, like the disabled loo is. Some of your imaginations are scary places!

Wow how dismissive of an actual experience unfortunately my imagination doesn't need any help as my real life experiences of the worst behaviour from men more than fills in the gap. In fact I wish it didn't as I look at my children and watch them go out into the world.