Toilets

[rosabud]

I just read the thread about boys failing in education because they do not "fit" into the gender-biased world of education and the article that argues how, in fact, women/girls do not "fit" into the gender biased whole world. It's a very thought-provoking and intellectual thread but it made me think of this rather less intellectual subject so I decided my thoughts might be better served on a new thread!

Anyway, one clear example of where women don't "fit" into the male norm expected by society and, as a result, have to suffer is, as I'm sue we've all experienced, that of public toilets. At the weekend I was standing patiently in a queue of women at a well-known chain of coffee shops outside the ladies while the gents was empty. Desperate and cross, I suggested we take matters into our own hands and we all began to use the gents as well, watching the door for eachother and offering to issue a warning should a real gent need to go! The male coffee shop assistant was very cross and told us we were not allowed to do this (on the basis of "health and safety" of all things which did give us a giggle!!) but we carried on anyway! He went to "get the manager" but by the time manager came we had all finished and order was restored!!

What do you think? Should we use the gents as a matter of course? Were we in the wrong?

I've been doing that for years.

Only if you are prepared to be yelled at by some outraged bloke who gets startled when using the urinals.

I can't see why it is beyond the wit of architects to design enough womens' toilets into a building. Why is our time considered so unimportant that we can spend it queuing for a wee?

A case in point is the Royal Opera House, reopened with a great fanfare after massive redevlopment some years ago. Are there enough womens' loos so everyone can go in the interval without queueing?

Are there fuck!

Same at the O2.

We'd have far fewer threads on here "AIBU to use the disabled loo" if there were actually enough womens' loos in the first place.

It's crazy that places usually have an equal amount of women's and men's loos. Obviously there should be more women's. I've used the men's on occasion.

Maybe we should follow the Continental policy where there may only be one bathroom. But then it's accepted in those places that women can see men peeing (and the way the men whip it out, the women haven't got much choice).

a loud 'woman coming through to use cubicle' shouted out is enough to warn any man, just because he might be shocked and drop his penis with hilarious consequences

as long as you don't piss all over the floor trying to use a urinal, what's the problem?

Other thing is that women's toilets are designed to some standard (male) cubicle size and then afterwards they try to fit a sanitary disposal thing in as well and there's no room fo it and you can't get in the bloody door and the whole thing's silly.

When I was young I often used the gents, including when there were gents in them. You'd sometimes get blokes in the ladies though so I guess it all cancelled out in the end!

That's all fine but are you all happy for a man to use the women's loo?

Yeah only if you dont get all arsy when the guys use the girls loos!

Plus the mens toilets stink most of the time!

Perhaps all loos should be unisex, with no urinals, just cubicles - or maybe with the urinals further in, past the cubicles, so no-one had to walk past the urinals to get to a cubicle. I would find this a bit worrying at first, and I am sure there are others who would too, but I think I would get used to it.

The only Health & Safety issue is the disgusting smell in mens public conveniences. We have some unisex ones at work, they are gross, men grunting and plopping. Would only use them if desperate.

axure

"The only Health & Safety issue is the disgusting smell in mens public conveniences. We have some unisex ones at work, they are gross, men grunting and plopping. Would only use them if desperate."

What happens when your female colleague's shit hits the bowl? A chorus of angel song?

"What happens when your female colleague's shit hits the bowl? A chorus of angel song?"

Oh god, I can't stop laughing at just how embarassing that would be. Even if it was designed to signal to the world that you've just shat out a rose-scented sculpture of pure gold, I still think I'd die of the shame!

Maybe something from Zadok the Priest?

Helxi, thank you for that proper LOL!

I don't know why there aren't more unisex toilets. I've been in a few places like that - individual cubicles with the washing facilities shared (or sometimes individual washing facilities in each cubicle - much better.

Actually, I seem to remember reading somewhere about many schools changing to similar arrangements and it cut down on "anti-social" behaviour and bullying. I think in one, staff and students used the same facilities. If I can find the reference, I'll post it.

Toilets are for the purpose of eliminating body fluids and solids. They aren't necessarily going to be fragrant or have nice sounds in them. If ears and noses are that delicate, perhaps wait to go when you get home! or wear ear and nose plugs

You must have read enough poo threads here to know that polite ladies put some paper in the pan first to muffle the 'plop' and immediately flush to mimimise any unpleasant odour. Men don't seem to see the need for such niceties.

I want to know 2 things:

1. WTF all the other women are doing in the bloody loo to cause the queues

1. Why men take so long in the loo at home and yet seem to be so fast in public ones.

Men toilets are usually way stinkier than womens though

why is that

purely cos of the urinals? I don't really understand it

whatmeworry

1. negotiating layers of undergarments, wiping seat before, hovering, wiping seat after, renegotiating layers of clothes etc. Much slower than whipping a willy out. You must know that, though, surely?
2. men don't generally shit in public conveniences

surprised I need to explain these basic facts TBH!

1. WTF all the other women are doing in the bloody loo to cause the queues

In my (limited) experience, peeing as quickly as possible, washing hands, leaving. By the time you get to the front of the line you've spent more than enough time in the bloody place already!

It's the fact that there aren't enough cubicles, compared to urinals, that means women have to queue. Not some weird lengthy pee-ritual!

urinella problem solved !

xposts!

I think some women do have weird lengthy pee rituals TBH. Clearly doing stuff like getting tights down without putting your nail through them, changing tampons and stuff will take longer and I think a lot of women do some complex hovering manoevres. However bottom (ha!) line is that if women need more bogs than men to keep the queues down then you'd think they'd provide them where possible.

I'd vote for no urinals and unisex loos. As soon as men had to queue as well, I bet the problem would get sorted. Also, if men weren't used to using urinals they might not see pissing in the street as such a normal thing to do.

You might well end up with much more pissing on teh street though plenty, if men suddenly had to queue. not on high street in shopping hours prob, but after dark pub type areas would be awash

True, you might have to arrest a few street pissers before the message sinks in.