Women working for the Home Office are having to walk to other departments if they want to use the lavatory, to avoid using the building’s gender neutral toilets.
According to The Times, long queues are frequently seen outside the few ladies-only facilities, as many women say they are uncomfortable using mixed-sex toilets.
Some women are forced to walk to the offices of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, after the Home Office spent almost £40,000 in 2018 removing sex-specific toilets.
‘Distressing’
A Government source told The Times that the facilities were “installed without consultation”.
Arguments occurred between staff after women encountered men using the toilets with the cubicle doors open. Female workers were described as finding using the shared toilets “distressing”.
The news comes as the Government consults on the trend of swapping female-only facilities for gender-neutral toilets.
Recent research conducted by ministers found that the majority of women were less likely to use the gender-neutral facilities.
‘Unsafe’
In 2019, reports emerged of schoolgirls across the country increasingly skipping school in order to avoid having to use gender-neutral toilets.
Parents and teaching staff said girls felt deeply uncomfortable and even unsafe sharing toilet areas with boys, leading them to stay at home, refuse to go to the toilet all day, or even refuse to drink liquids to avoid needing to go.
Also see:
Trend for gender neutral toilets disadvantages women, says UK Govt