To be annoyed at the lack of bathrooms

[Applecharm25]

I have my period. I can feel that i need to change my tampon.

I'm out walking round my city. There are no public bathrooms anywhere near me.

I see a sign for a bathroom in a small shopping centre near me. I walk in. The bathroom is actually in a shop. I'm told that the bathroom is only available for paying customers.

So now I have to get in a long queue and wait further and buy something while I really need to change my tampon.

Surely there should be better toilet services available.

This regularly winds me up. Women are disproportionately affected by the lack of public toilets. Since having children, I can’t go as long without peeing as I used to. I actually have to factor in if I need to not drink anything at all if I’m going somewhere I know there are no toilets. It’s ridiculous and inhumane.

Well I'm in my 70s and today I had a wee went to catch a train and hour later changed trains and then went shopping before visiting friend so 4 hours till I needed a loo. In that time my husband would have needed a loo at least twice maybe 3 times. It is ridiculous to keep on about women being disadvantaged. Some people need the loo more often than others and no one should need to wee behind a bush.

I've had 4 babies the smallest being 9 lbs. Having a baby might have affected your bladder control but don't pretend all women are the same. I'm sick of being lumped together with women who claim we all live in fear and have poor bladder control.

You and your husband are just one case. I am just speculating that on average, it seems like women do wait longer in queues for access to public toilets. It's also a fact that women have one additional reason to use toilets than men. I might say two additional reasons, given that it's more likely to be women taking their kids to the toilets than men. Of course women are disadvantaged.

I also don't see why you have to point this out? It shouldn't be a disadvantage contest!

Yes my husband is very happy with the library provision and I get to look at books while I wait. Very civilised. They do seem to be clean and well looked after as well.

Yes, that is what would be most common here In the Midwest where I live. I can't vouch for the rest of the country.

Personally when I'm somewhere I usually ask for the ladies' room.

No it doesn't need to be a disadvantage because men and women use toilets and some have more need than others. Some of the people with urgent need are men.

The sexism on this site is getting shocking.

You still don’t have a penis though to enable you to piss behind a bush if you needed to though do you. You still have periods which men don’t have. You are still a woman who factually has more need for toilet facilities than men. It’s not an insult. Just facts.

No men should not be peeing behind a bush. It isn't hygienic and it isn't lawful.

How is it sexism to point out that women have periods while men don't, and this is one additional reason to use toilets?

I understand the point that, obviously, both men and women use the toilets for various reasons, and some men do use toilets more than the average woman. But why is it a problem to point out that women are, on average, more inconvenienced by the lack of public toilets than men?

You’re completely missing the point. Of course no one should be pissing behind a bush but if there’s no public toilets available, men have that option. Women don’t. The answer for everyone’s dignity and hygiene is more public toilets. The answer isn’t “well I can go 4 hours without needing a wee so everyone else should be able to as well”.
The things you’re offended about here are bizarre.

It's sexism to suggest men can just wee in public so women have to be prioritised. How does the average work out if a man decides to just have a wee in front of your child or a man with a bowel problem shits himself? We need decent public toilets for everyone and we can all benefit from that.

No one is encouraging men to do that. It's just that they do have that option in absolute emergency while women don't.

Men don't legally have the option. How do you feel about your husband/son/father getting arrested?

I don’t think anyone’s going to arrest my 4 year old for having a wee behind a tree at the park that has no toilets. But thanks for your concern for his criminal record

What? You're missing the point. I did not suggest that men should wee in public. I'm saying that due to their periods, women have an extra reason to be looking for toilets in public. Obviously having more public toilets benefits both men and women!

He won't always be 4. You happy for him to get a conviction for indecency?

Well it's been suggested multiple times on this thread.

There's a difference between what people do do and what people should do. I don't think people are advocating for men to pee in public. They're just observing that some men do that.

I swear there are fewer than there were even five years ago in London. Every tube station at the very least should have toilets.

No they are saying men don't need as many toilets because they can wee in public.

Out of interest, if there's no difference between women's demand for toilet facilities and men's, why are the queues for the ladies longer than the (often non-existent) queues for the gents? IME it needs to go way past 50/50 man/woman split at the event or venue before the gents queue gets anywhere near as long as the ladies.

I think it's the same in lots of places. In my town the council have locked the public toilets to save money. I'm hoping they don't decide to lock the library ones or DH will be effectively under house arrest.

Hotel - toilets nearly always off the main lobby :)

Men don’t need as many toilets because they don’t have periods and it is less common for them to take small children into the toilets with them.

Also men, from what I’ve heard, tend to be perfectly happy with urinals if they just need a pee. Women can’t use those.