Around 80% of people prefer single sex spaces to mixed.sex

[ArabellaScott]

New survey. Its pretty clear.

sex-matters.org/posts/updates/new-poll-shows-most-people-prefer-single-sex-toilets-and-changing-rooms/

'The poll shows that most people prefer single-sex facilities over “gender neutral” (mixed-sex) provision. This is a consistent preference that hardly varies across all the situations we asked about, from workplace toilets (78%) to toilets in parks and pubs (81%) to showers and changing rooms at work (86%).'

'The vast majority of people prefer straightforward single-sex facilities in workplaces and public spaces. Most do not agree that trans-identifying people should be allowed to use the facilities of their choice. This varies little by age or voting pattern.

Support for trans-identifying people to use the facilities of their choice is low, at 20–21% for toilets and 18–19% for showers and changing rooms.'

Well, yes.

Indeed. Politicians with any sense should take note.

I noted that they mention how they can't compare with previous surveys because the questions were asked differently. I think that this shows the importance of using straightforward and simple language when talking about these things, or talking about anything really.

This.
Unlike for eg the Hampstead Ponds survey where the terms ''sex' and 'gender' were used interchangeably in different questions so that the survey made no sense whatsoever. It had clearly been worded that way on purpose to ensure that many people wouldn't understand the implications.
I'm sure that many people also assume that 'transwoman' means a woman who is trans-identified, rather than a male who says he should be treated as a female.

Shocked face

Are you sure, Eresh, because that looks a bit like your normal face.

This is my shocked face:

🤣 my normal face is a permanently rolling eye

Thanks for this! 🤣🤣🤣

🤨 < is this a ‘no sh*t, Sherlock’ face?

I think the next step should be acknowledging private mixed sex spaces are less safe and healthy so we need to work out ways to make them better for times when there’s no alternative (if you are non-ambulant, in a cafe, on a train). Accessible toilets should have a lot more investment.

Adding more mixed sex spaces retrospectively down unsuitable corridors could cause more problems than it solves (if that is what the EHRC are implying as a solution). We have lost around 40% of council run toilets since 2000 as they cost so much to maintain and are sites for sex, drugs, and vandalism. They have to be planned, designed and located so carefully to work.

As a side, British Transport Police couldn’t tell me how many sexual assaults and rapes happened in train carriage toilets as the location is just listed at train carriage. They couldn’t tell me much under the FOI request as it would take them too many hours to sift through over 9000 incidents on trains and in stations. Which is understandable but frustrating. People have found similar with ‘hospital ward’ location - it’s too vague. We need better data collection and collation to reduce VAWG. Police reports need to be more descriptive about location so we can ‘design out’ crimes such as sexual assault, rape and hidden camera placement and try and prevent more deaths (drug overdoses, self harm, cardiac arrests, brain injuries, choking) in toilets.

My research going back to reading court reports and trying to find information about the design of each toilet room or cubicle incident, is long and laborious. But it is clear: single sex design has the ability to save lives and prevent misuse.

Everyone I know hates them, men and women. If you must stick a single gender neutral one for those too delusional to use their own sex toilets but keep the majority single sex.

Popped into the British Library today and was pleased to see women only 🚺 toilets alongside the mixed sex 🚺🚹⚧️ ones. I only saw one set being used, by both uniformed staff and visitors … no prizes for guessing which.

I was genuinely surprised by how many people in that poll think that trans-identified persons should just use the toilet for their sex, without even the option of any sort of gender-neutral alternative. Seems that a good chunk of the public have had enough of the most special and vulnerable folk on the planet

Me, too. After all these years of us thoughtfully suggesting a third space, the idea has been briskly brushed aside by a general public that has Had Enough.

Its almost like 'gender critical' women weren't actually extreme at all....

Well well well. It seems like there's somewhat of a disconnect between what certain groups of people will blab on social, and how they actually feel when nobody is there to check their thinking... To rehash an old slogan:

A yes for the scroll, but no in the poll.

I love a good bar chart.

It’s interesting that the youngest group are even more likely to prefer single sex toilets than the two age groups above them. This corresponds with the more recent introduction of more unisex designs toilets in schools. Pupils in some schools have been known to unofficially divide them into male and female toilets to respect each other.

I would anticipate the rise for mixed sex preference in 75+ being because the mixed sex toilet is the Accessible one which elderly people are more likely to need.

There no such thing as an Accessible single sex design. Ambulant design is the nearest.
I had to use the mixed sex toilet when caring for an elderly person - it’s the only one we could use.

The 20% preferring mixed sex in the 25-34 age group is worth studying. If the numbers are high enough to be statistically valid, why is this the highest? Is it a more political stance or do they genuinely prefer mixed sex? Is it the design they prefer (more likely to be private) to single sex (more likely to be open)? It is known that that generation are more embarrassed about people hearing them going to the toilet than older generations. Is it dads worried about taking girls into the men’s or a preference to use the larger mixed sex accessible for getting a buggy in?

There are so many hang-ups and intricacies and needs regarding loo choice!

There's often a 'yeah well -that's not a surprise, look who commissioned the poll.' response to results like this.
I'm sure something like that has popped up on Reddit!

So I googled the company who did the polling, JL Partners UK , they have nothing at all about them which suggests they'd play with anything other than a straight bat when polling for Sex Matters, or anyone else.

Just saying..