Do you feel nervous or uneasy using unisex loos?

[Motuihe]

It is a bit offputting when several men are washing hands and whistling away and you are only woman there. Or if you leave a loo at same time and clock eyes with a bloke.

I'd be a bit screwed if I did as we have them at work.

The cleaners are fierce though, so no piss puddles on the floor at least

Completely depends on the set up and I suppose time of day and people around.

Most uni sex loos I have encountered have been one swith wash basin in with toilets - then my issue is often the door being floor to ceiling which in one way is nice another can often feel claustrophobic and worry about locks getting stuck.

The few I haven't that have had communial sinks were often full of mums with pushchairs and young families and men while there have felt in minoirty.

Ones I really dislike are one with new signage and that's it- they are most likely to feel unsafe to me.

There are also concerns about more cameras being in unisex loos and illict filming - not seen figures for that but is a potential issue.

Nope, doesn’t bother me. I also happily use the men’s toilets at events if there’s a big queue for the ladies! Never had an issue

It doesn’t bother me, but I recognise it bothers other women and children so I would prefer women only spaces. It isn’t all about me, which is something these ‘men’ don’t understand.

The only kind of unisex loos that are legal in the UK are single-user fully-enclosed rooms where the hand-washing and drying facilities are within the room with the lavatory and the room opens out into a public space not a vestibule. I have no trouble at all using those.

Anywhere that has a room full of cubicles with shared handwashing facilities that is labelled "Unisex" is breaking the law. These are not providing appropriate dignified facilities and it is established in law that women are at a disadvantage and being discriminated against if a venue does not provide appropriate single-sex facilities. It is fine for unisex facilities to also be provided if someone doesn't want to use the facilities for their own sex.

I have used Unisex "room full of cubicles with shared handwashing facilities" in other countries where they are legal and found them very unpleasant. Men use the cubicles as a urinal but don't bother to shut and lock the door meaning that women see more than they want to, it doesn't feel comfortable. I did feel safe enough as the room was so busy with at least 15ish people in there, and no chance of someone isolating a vulunerable user, but I wouldn't use such a room at quiet times when there might be a high chance of being the only woman there with one or more men.

Yeah, tbh I’ve not been in a unisex loo for as long as I can remember with multiple cubicles? Do they exist? I’ve been in unisex loos where there is just one toilet like in a cafe. I don’t LOVE it, especially if the toilet seat is up from a man previously because I just use my foot to bring it down (understandably hate touching the toilet with my hands)…

Bur I don’t feel uneasy because I know it’s just me locked in the cubicle but I guess you’re referring to unisex toilets with multiple cubicles

What if the CEO was also a woman? Do we need separate management toilets?

They are non binary safe spaces, perfect for anyone now.

I have never been to any WCs that have this set up. It is always either rows of separate cubicles with sinks, or individual rooms in smaller establishments. Even our local leisure that has the “family changing village” and has done for about 20 years, there are separate WCs.

I have to use disable loo so unisex. Always piss on the floor and seat up, and stinky. Really miss not being able to use regular ladies loo😥

Indeed. And disabled toilets have always been unisex, not sure why we think it’s ok for disabled women to be in a toilet disabled men have used but not for all other women.

Gross. Bristol airport have installed unisex loos in their transport hub. You can smell the piss from outside the building.

I won't use them, I walked into one and walked out again once. Dh is very uncomfortable using them at work. If they must be unisex I think they should be single cubicles, which works well at a place I visit locally. Makes note never to camp in France.

This, I go to festivals, and stay in hostels too.
It still shouldn't be the norm.

I hate them. They make me feel uncomfortable and on edge. Worried about peeping toms. Stinky and dirty. Horrible.

I feel uncomfortable using any public toilets. It always makes me feel a bit awkward. It doesn’t make a difference to me what sex the other users are. Using public toilets is just something you have to do sometimes, whether you like it or not.

I like family changing rooms alongside male/female changing rooms. I hate unisex toilets

If it's an all in one unit - toilet plus sink - and enclosed floor to ceiling then no problem.
Aren't these a good alternative to the invasion of the safe spaces that Mumsnetters are so vocal about?

Is that so? I went to the loo on the fifth floor at John Lewis Oxford St last week and it was open shared sink area with a few cubicles all with the seats up.

Don't like them - they normally smell as bad as the mens (confirmed by two sons who miss being young enough to come in the ladies).

The PP saying that the women's are in a worse state - this is not my experience. Whatever state the ladies in a place are in, the mens are worse - and unisex may as well be a mens.

Also this 'it's the norm on the continent' - This is not my experience either - I've lived in 5 different EU countries, visited many more, and in most of those places there were separate toilets, except where the place was small and there was only one or two fully contained cubicles - and then it's just a throw of the dice whether they are well maintained or not.

I thought this too that it was only legal if the the washbasins are inside the cubicle.

Don't like them and I get a strong revulsion reaction. I don't want to be around toileting men.

I've never encountered any of the issues listed here in unisex toilets (or at least not exclusively so - I've seen many a disgusting womens toilet too!). Perhaps I've been lucky. No, I don't feel uneasy or nervous.

Context is all.

Meeting a man in an enclosed space where you have either just/or are about to remove clothes is not the same as meeting the same man by the coffee machine.

A female CEO doesn't present the same statistical risk to me.

If they are completely self contained AND cleaned regularly and properly I don’t mind. If I go in and can spell male piss I hate them.

In a small cafe with 1 loo well that’s unavoidable and again if it’s clean and I couldn’t tell that it’s not single sex, I’m ok. Otherwise I get out as quick as and hold my nose.