ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Will gender-neutral washrooms soon become the norm in our increasingly equal society? ECJ considers the pros and cons of unisex toilets and asks providers whether or not they believe these to be the future of public washrooms.

“I’M JUST POPPING TO THE LADIES.” “I’m heading for the gents”. Or: “I’m going to the men’s”.  Such phrases have become such common parlance that the speaker rarely feels the need to add the word ‘washroom’ or ‘toilet’ after using them. In most countries in modern society it is taken as read that all washrooms in public buildings will be segregated into gents’ and ladies’ facilities. But why does this need to be the case?

Separate washrooms actually have historical credentials: they date back to the 19th century when ladies were generally deemed to be modest and virtuous. As a result the fairer sex obviously needed to be protected from ‘predatory males’ - which is why public washrooms had to be divided into gents’ and ladies’ facilities to ensure the safety of women.

But times have changed and we are now living in a much more inclusive society. Today’s women fully expect and demand equal status to men whether it is at home, at work or in social situations.
Meanwhile, the non-binary community has begun to challenge the whole idea of needing to declare one’s gender before venturing into a public facility. So, is it time to make unisex washrooms the default option in today’s rapidly-evolving society?

Yes, absolutely, according to Hagleitner’s head of product management Stefanie Hagleitner. “To my mind it is a shame that a need as basic as going to the toilet in public spaces still poses a problem for non-binary and transgender people,” she said. “Everyone - regardless of class, age, ethnicity, religious background and of course, gender identity - should be able to use a toilet without having to experience any kind of dysphoria.”

She believes gender-neutral washrooms offer many advantages over segregated facilities. “First off, they help to eradicate gender discrimination while promoting equality in public spaces,” she said.

“They also remove any worry that parents and caregivers might have when taking children or less abled people of the opposite sex into the toilet with them. And the same holds true for members of the cleaning staff who would feel less uncomfortable when bumping into members of the opposite sex in a unisex washroom.”

According to Hagleitner it is quite common for disproportionately long queues to form outside ladies’ facilities despite the fact they offer the same capacity as the gents’. “This is of course due to the fact that men have access to urinals,” she said.

“The ideal gender-neutral washroom would feature a row of enclosed toilet cubicles with floor-to-ceiling walls and doors to preserve individual privacy. And there should be a shared, open-plan washing area. In fact, these types of communal washing zones have actually proved successful in promoting hand hygiene practices among washroom users and are therefore helping to create a safer and more hygienic environment.”

Cover all needs

She adds each cubicle should be equipped with a toilet paper dispenser, a toilet seat disinfectant dispenser, a sanitary bag dispenser and a waste bin. “These would cover the needs of all genders,” she said. “The toilet seat disinfectant dispenser enables people to sanitise the seating surface before using the toilet, and this also comes in handy if droplets of urine go astray.

“However, I think it is reasonable to assume that people would show more consideration for each other in a mixed-gender environment, and this would automatically lead to cleaner washrooms compared with same-sex toilets.”

Hagleitner has noticed a growing interest in establishing gender-neutral washrooms in recent years, particularly in educational institutions. She adds the company’s washroom products that include air fresheners, fragrances, soaps, lotions and dispensers have been designed to appeal to everyone.

Replacing gents’ and ladies’ washrooms with gender-neutral facilities would definitely have space-saving advantages, says Essity’s communications director Renée Remijnse. “Offering unisex toilets makes washroom provision less complex for everyone while also reducing the risk of congestion during busy periods,” she said. “This is because everyone would have the option to use all the available toilets.”

But while it is clear that gender-neutral washrooms offer several key advantages over segregated alternatives, there has been a marked backlash against unisex facilities in some quarters.

In schools and universities for example – both in Europe and beyond - there has been a growing trend to combine the men’s and women’s washrooms and offer gender-neutral alternatives. But in September 2021, a UK school was forced into a U-turn after the head teacher received dozens of complaints about a decision to combine the boys’ and girls’ toilets.

Parents were horrified when the washrooms at Moredon Primary School in Swindon went unisex without being modified in any way. This meant the urinals remained in use in the boys’ toilets despite the fact that girls were now allowed in.

During the same autumn term a second school in Scotland was also forced to change tack after removing all its single-sex washrooms. Parents of students at Culloden Academy were shocked to discover that its facilities had become gender-neutral during the summer holidays, which meant 11-year-old girls were now obliged to share the same toilet space as 18-year-old boys.

And plans to install gender neutral facilities in UK government buildings were recently scrapped after proving to be highly unpopular, particularly with women. A YouGov poll discovered that fewer than one in 20 women supported the replacement of men’s and women’s lavatories with gender-neutral ones. Common complaints among women were that the gents’ were “too smelly” and that they felt embarrassed using the washroom when men were present.

So in view of these negative reports, do our commentators feel there are any disadvantages to unisex facilities? Hagleitner’s Stefanie Hagleitner says no, provided they are properly designed and equipped. “Features such as fully-enclosed toilet cubicles, an open-plan hand washing area and waste bins and sanitary bag dispensers are all a must,” she said.

Essity’s Renée Remijnse does admit to some misgivings about going completely gender neutral, however. “Some people use washrooms in order to unwind and patch up their make-up, and these people might feel uncomfortable in a mixed environment,” she said. “More space would also be required in a toilet that featured cubicles only, while the continued provision of urinals could prove awkward for women in gender-neutral washrooms.

She adds unisex toilets can often be a good idea depending on the environment in question. “Public washrooms are more functional, so gender-neutral facilities might be more appropriate here. But if these were to become unisex there would need to be good behaviour around toilet seat etiquette.”

Remijnse feels the key focus must be on washrooms that provide access to everyone rather than homing in on the male versus female discussion. “This also incorporates people with temporary disabilities, arthritis, injuries and parents with young children,” she said.

“Washrooms must offer the best experience while fulfilling the comfort, design and privacy needs of everyone in the building. Providers should be thinking about their users first and while unisex requirements need to be a part of the debate, in the end it is about hygiene for all.”