Is the End to Men’s and Women’s Restrooms Near?

Gendered restrooms have been a standard in public buildings, with facility managers and custodians stocking restrooms with different hygiene products and fixtures to meet the needs of specific patrons. European Cleaning Journal explores the implications of a switch to gender-neutral restrooms for those who use public restrooms as well as those who clean and maintain them.

Gender-specific restrooms date back to the 19th century and were created to give women more privacy. However, today’s more inclusive society and the problem of nonbinary people having to declare their gender before using a public restroom is causing many building owners and managers to rethink the norm.

There are advantages to unisex restrooms. For instance, parents of young children no longer need to worry about taking children of the opposite gender into a restroom and caretakers of elderly people and those with disabilities can accompany their charge into any restroom. Cleaning staff would no longer feel uncomfortable about encountering people of the opposite sex while trying to do their job. Gender-neutral restrooms could also help eliminate the long line outside of women’s restrooms.

However, simply changing the sign outside a men’s or women’s restroom to unisex would not be enough. Facilities would need to consider design changes that would ensure comfort for all restroom users. Restroom equipment specialists say the ideal gender-neutral restroom would feature a row of enclosed toilet cubicles with floor-to-ceiling walls and doors for privacy. Each cubicle should contain a toilet paper dispenser, a toilet seat disinfectant dispenser, a sanitary products dispenser, and a waste bin. An open washing area would promote proper hand hygiene for all restroom users.

Backlash against unisex restrooms has come from people who may want to use the area to relax or touch-up makeup and may feel intimidated encountering people of the opposite sex while grooming. Experts stressed that the elimination of urinals and allowing enough space between the cubicle toilets and washing area would help alleviate the problem. And signage encouraging toilet seat etiquette would be a plus.