Women’s loo queues- what’s going on??

[SanctusInDistress]

I’m in my 50s, so I have plenty of experience using the women’s public lavatories. In the past 5 years, I’ve noticed that the queues are out of this world. And not just in tbe UK. Everywhere I go, the women’s queues are always super long and move very slowly.

is it that people now use their phone whilst in there? A pee and a quick browse?

ladies, what’s going on?! Are our bladders and rectums getting bigger so it takes more time to discharge, or are we using public loos to catch up on our social media when out and about?

is it just me who has noticed this? I don’t go any more often than when I was in my 30s.

Am I being unreasonable for thinking that women’s lav queues are getting ridiculous?

I think it's relevant to ask whether equal space and consideration of need was given to both toilets in the first place - and whether, if so, this was not well planned (which it wouldn't have been).

If there is sufficient space/number of cubicles for the needs of the female users, is there any point in moaning about the fact that the men also have additional urinals in theirs?

Would it help the women in any way whatsoever if the urinals were removed from the men's toilets and replaced with a blank wall in the name of equality?

Also, might there be additional/bigger/nicer/more accessible sinks in the women's in the equivalent space where the men have urinals in theirs?

It's also probably better for the cleaners - who are overwhelmingly likely to be female - if men wee in purpose-built urinals, rather than standing in a cubicle and splashing it everywhere from a height!

A number of times I've been in a queue for the loo with a few people ahead of me. Once you get closer you realise most of the loos are actually empty and the idiots at the front haven't bothered to check so we've all been queuing for nothing.

My daughter was a cleaner in an upmarket bar with a late licence. Apparently the ladies was much worse than the gents, which is mind blowing.
She now works in a large multinational with shared toilets...I have been in there and they are immaculate.
Maybe I'm always rushing but I am as fast as possible.

Men simply don’t consider that women need more time in the bathroom, or think that an even 50/50 split is the most sensible.

A software company I used to work for had one female toilet and one male toilet for our department of 30+ people. It was great because only three of us were women!

Mind you, one time one of the men must have decided he didn't want to stand outside in the rain for a cigarette so went for a sneaky smoke in the ladies cubicle. Seeing as none of the women smoked it was bloody obvious what was going on as soon as the next woman visited and smelt the smoke. There were harsh words.

Really that is odd.

I usually find every 4 or 5 people the person at front checks the empty cubicles and finds there is a reason why it's not being used and goes back to front of the queue or maybe I am one of those people - or surrounded by them - why that one not being used.

Surely there must be a simple, clear way for cubicle doors to automatically stay open until somebody goes in to use them - and then can't be accidentally left closed from the outside, as the user is leaving?

The old 'vacant/engaged' indicators have largely fallen by the wayside - and were small snd indistinct to look for, anyway. And nobody likes to try doors of potentially occupied cubicles to see if they are locked - especially the frequent ultra embarrassing times when the person inside hasn't locked it properly or the lock is broken and you get an unwelcome (to both parties) eyeful.

It's phones. It would be easy to say well there are now all these trans women added to the mix but really they are like 1% at most. It's people catching up on Insta and Facebook. I bet it happens in the mens too

@TheHangingGardensOfBasildon Look at many profile photos of teens and young adults on FB. They are selfies taken in the toilets, not the cubicles, but the mirrors above the handbasins. Why?

You need to perfect the 'toilet nudge' - the art of pushing very gently on a possibly locked door, enough to tell if it is locked but not enough to open it fully. If it's occupied but not locked, this gives the occupier a chance to speak before you see anything. If no one speaks at the nudge point you can proceed to open it with confidence.

Because they see themselves and think 'I look amazing at this particular moment in time' and want to capture it.

Lets normalise urinals for women

Thoughts?

Do you mean by having to use some sort of receptacle to aim the urine, or just doing away with cubicles and having a row of seated toilets?

I don't fancy either and would prefer there to be more toilets.

The only time I used a SheWe was prior to running the London Marathon. They had a large tent, you took your SheWe and we all lined up over a trough. It worked in that there was NO queue, but also because getting that last nervous wee done trumped any sort of wish for privacy. I think these would work at festivals, but not for day to day supermarkets, theatres, out and about in town.

@Hyperion100 Urinals are normalised for men because they stand with their back to any 'audience' coming into the room, and it is easy for them not to look sideways at other men's dicks when they are pissing; and they don't have to undress at all - just open a zip.

Women have to undress, even if it is only pulling pants down (assuming wearing a skirt and no tights in summer); they have to sit or squat, wipe at a minimum.

Urinals wouldn't make the process any quicker; you might squeeze an extra one or two in the space versus cubicles but it wouldn't make enough of a difference to be worth it.

There are fewer public toilets and pubs / cafes are for customers only (which I hate).

In many locations, there is only one accessible toilet, which is frequently designated as a "shared space" to accommodate both disabled people and parents who need to change their baby's nappies.

While I recognize the importance of providing a convenient space for baby changing, this setup can create challenges for disabled people who rely on that accessible toilet.

When the space is occupied for nappy changes, it can result in delays and prevent disabled people from using the facilities when they need to. Separate, dedicated spaces for both accessible toilets and baby changing facilities would be a more inclusive and considerate approach, allowing everyone to access the services they require without unnecessary inconvenience.

You can get more urinals in a room than you can toilet cubicles would be my guess as to why the queues are shorter.

Crazy, isn't it? Of all the beautiful places out there, that's their specific preference!

Mind, Olly Alexander did it for Eurovision last year, as well: set the stage up like a grubby men's bogs. Grim.

I wonder if restaurants are now getting masses of diners REQUESTING a table next to the toilets these days?!

This baffles me. Are you sure it’s true, Donna? I can’t imagine sitting in a public loo any longer than I had to. Why wouldn’t people look at their phones somewhere more comfortable?

Depends if you are a "hoverer" or not probably. I am not bothered by sitting on most public loos so I don't find it more uncomfortable than going anywhere else really unless I've got a dodgy tum and am letting off some sounds

When I was small decades ago my mum used to take me to the ladies in a department store. It was the powder room...cubicles, basins...and a few fancy chairs and magazines in an ante room. Very swish.

There was a pub/bar I went to once and saw a large room in there. Looked in there and it was 4 toilets, one in each corner and no dividers. I was thinking WTF.

There were about 10 normal cubicle toilets to add.

I am the same with communal changing rooms in clothes shops.

Caroline Criado Pérez, author of Invisible Women, is your woman for this one:

www.tortoisemedia.com/audio/caroline-criado-perez-visible-women-waiting-for-the-ladies/

When I was shopping at the weekend me and friend popped to the loo. There was about 6 toilets and a queue. I went in a cubicle and my friend was next in the queue. I came out and my friend was still queuing so all 5 other people took longer than me. I did wonder what they were al doing in there