This is a short post, and I don't expect too much discussion on it, but wanted to share this with people.
I work for an alternative coffee shop, which is owned by some very forward-thinking people. When I started there, one of the first things I noticed on the washrooms was although they had standard "Men" and "Women" signs on it, both had been altered. They read "Men?" and "Women?". For the record, these are not "stall" washrooms, they are each a separate room.
I never actually asked about it, since it's not really something all that out of the ordinary. Still, I'm always a little surprised when someone refuses to use the washroom for the other gender, and instead waits outside their chosen gender's washroom. Sometimes, people will ask "Where is the lady's room (or men's room)?" and I'll reply "Washrooms are down the hall", sometimes adding, "not to worry, our washrooms aren't really gendered".
I said this in the presence of the owner the other day, and momentarily worried that I might be getting myself in trouble. But she laughed and told me the following:
"The only reason we ever put the signs up was that when we first opened, the health inspector insisted we have separate washrooms for men and women." I repeat, these are two separate rooms, which you would not go into with someone else. Because using the same toilet that someone of a different gender used is a dangerous health issue.
This shop opened in the early '90s.
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I have a friend whose daughter works in construction. She is often the only female construction worker on a job site. All the job sites use Port-O-Potties (or whatever the equivalent in that area).
My friend's daughter has a right to (and insists upon) a "woman's" latrine that the other men on the site cannot use. This is because in public restrooms, men can be generally untidy, and some cannot be arsed to aim properly for the toilet. That, combined with a general hostility toward female construction workers by the males, sharing a latrine could contribute to a hostile working environment. Therefore, it is on the books that female construction workers can have their "own" latrine while on job sites.
While this isn't going to be the case in all jobs, I can see a difference in the way people can treat public restrooms in terms of tidiness that the opposite sex would not appreciate (for both men and women). Therefore, I do understand why some would prefer them separated.
I had the same thought at first as ElleStar, but it really depends on the place. It's the responsibility of the business to keep the restrooms clean, and in my experience, places that have single-toilet (no stall) restrooms tend to be nicer and cleaner than places that have multi-stall public restrooms.
I have been ignoring the "Men's Room" sign in those places since high school. I always feel a little sneaky about it and a little worried about somebody saying "NO! You can't go in there!" but it never happens. For the most part, the men's room is comparable to the women's room in terms of tidiness.
When I was in college, I lived in a 10-person co-ed house that shared 2 bathrooms, family style. We managed just fine. Presumably, most of the men and women who use public restrooms have at some point had to share a bathroom with an opposite-sex roommate or family member. If we can manage it at home, we can manage it at a coffee shop.
The place you work sounds cool, medea.
That's incredibly strange. I've been in a lot of places with only one unisex bathroom.
I guess it would make sense in a larger bathroom with a couple of urinals, but otherwise it's just weird. And I can't see how it could be a health risk.
There have been a couple of times when I used the women's single-occupancy bathroom at my high school. I stopped on the off-chance that it might make some people uncomfortable. I know it shouldn't be a issue, but still...
That same school has moved toward unisex bathrooms in recent years. One building even has three bathrooms right next to eachother: men's, women's, and unisex.
P.S. Women's or woman's?
Years ago I saw some amusing signs on the two restaurant bathrooms that would normally be labeled "men" and "women." The signs posted on the doors said "people" and "other people." It was so great! That's the only logical thing to do with bathrooms that are meant for only one person at a time.
If the bathroom marked "women" is occupied then I always go into the one marked men without any hesitation. If there is a woman waiting outside the women's bathroom then I do try to be polite and suggest that she can use the men's room (they almost always say "Oh, no!") before I go in.
And I often get strange looks when I come out of the "wrong" bathroom but it doesn't bother me. It only makes me laugh to think that people have such a hang up about this. I mean, if these are identical rooms, with equivalent fixtures (toilet, sink, door with a lock), then why does it matter?
I've also heard the comment that men's bathrooms are usually messier. As others have posted this has not been my experience in any of the small restrooms used by only one person at a time. Maybe it's because the small businesses with these type of restrooms keep them cleaner. I'm not talking about gas stations with rooms on the outside but small businesses like restaurants, books stores, coffee shops, etc., that have them inside the building.
Trust me, you'll be much happier with the gendered bathroom model if there is no urinal.
If the rest rooms are one-holers, I use which ever is empty. I think gendered one-holers are stupid.
I once had a job at an office with 2 separate 1-person bathrooms as you describe. One was the "men's" room and the other the "women's". Occasionally if there weren't many people around, the other room was occupied, etc, I would use the men's room. It was amazing how different the two bathrooms were, even though they were right next to each other and served the same professional, adult employees with the exception of gender. The women's room was generally clean and tidy, though at times of course it could have been better. The men's room, on all the occasions I used it, was utterly disgusting. There was urine on the toilet and the floor, tissue everywhere, bizarre things in the sink, etc. I have known some EXTREMELY clean men in my life, and I have no idea how they put up with men's rooms on a regular basis. I say keep them separate, if for no other reason than my own personal comfort :)