Keeping public toilets closed at parks and beauty spots is sexist towards women, it is claimed. Speaking to FEMAIL, charity campaigners...
Keeping public toilets closed at parks and beauty spots is sexist towards women, it is claimed.
Speaking to FEMAIL, charity campaigners and medical experts warned the measure 'adversely and disproportionately affects women and girls' because they are forced to 'plan their lives and freedom around toilets' in a way that men are not.
Menstruation and a more frequent urge to urinate means women often find themselves in greater need of facilities than men.
Charity campaigners and medical experts warned the measure 'adversely and disproportionately affects women and girls' because they are forced to 'plan their lives and freedom around toilets' in a way that men are not. Stock image
As lockdown measures lift, more than one in six (14 per cent) of menstruating women in the UK worry about where they can go to the toilet when going out while on their periods because many facilities are closed, according to data from WaterAid. This figure rises to one in five (21 per cent) in the West Midlands and one in four (24 per cent) in London.
Separate research from Plan International UK reveals more than a quarter of young women have been unable to go outside due to fears associated with their period, including access to a toilet.
Facilities were closed when strict social distancing rules were introduced in March because of fears the virus would be spread by people touching handrails, gates, door handles and light switches.
Some councils and parks have reopened their toilets, but an appeal by the Government to open more has largely been ignored.
Those that are open have seen long queues as they faced increased usage due to alternative facilities in restaurants and bars remaining closed.
Woman may need to urinate more frequently due to child birth and hormonal changes of menopause, explained Dr Shahzadi Harper, a women's wellness doctor and menopause expert at UK-based online health service Zoom Clinic.
They are unable to 'hold on' in the same way that men can. This is known as 'urge incontinence'.
She said: 'Understandably with Covid 19 precautions have to be taken, but closing toilets without consultation is frankly inconsiderate and sexist. 'Men may not need toilets to go to pee. But what about women? Finding a loo is stressful enough at any time when you desperately feel the need to go.
Some councils and parks have reopened their toilets, but an appeal by the Government to open more has largely been ignored. Those that are open have seen long queues as they faced increased usage. Pictured, a queue for the public toilet at Brighton beach on 25 May
'I already know of women who are planning their lives and freedom around toilets. They are avoiding socially distanced day trips or drinking less so as to avoid the need to pee.'
Dr Harper noted the male-centered approach might be down to the lack of women in key decision-making roles within the Government.
She added: 'I wonder if there were more women in the cabinet this at least would be discussed more.'
Menstruating women are also forced to plan their day around access to toilets in order to change sanitary products and cope with complications such as 'excessive bleeding' and 'flooding', according to Dr Shirin Lakhani of Elite Aesthetics.
She explained: 'Women who are menstruating need to have access to a toilet in order to regularly change their sanitary products.
'Just the idea of not having access to a toilet will mean they do not feel confident enough to leave the house at this time. Effectively women will be punished for menstruating and their lives will be restricted as a result.'
The issue is highlighted in research by Plan International UK which found 28 per cent of young women have been unable to go outside during lockdown because of worries associated with their period.
Rose Caldwell, CEO of Plan International UK: 'Restricting access to public toilets during lockdown adversely and disproportionately affects women and girls. Our recent research found that over a quarter (28 per cent) of young women who have periods have been unable to go outside during lockdown because of worries associated with their period, including worries over leaking.
'Being outdoors and socialising safely is crucial for girls' mental wellbeing during this crisis. But worries about access to period products and toilets is stopping them from enjoying this vital free time.
'Although we acknowledge that safety measures must be in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19, public toilets cannot remain closed for the long term.'
Martha Silcott, founder of sanitary product company Fab Little Bag, added: 'Facts are facts and women's needs to access a toilet are more numerous than mens due to the addition of managing periods.
'Add to that stress or urge incontinence been fairly common in women, often as a result of childbirth, then the urgency for access is further enhanced. Women’s unique needs are often ignored when it comes to such practicalities.'
Toilet closures have also affected families and people with medical conditions and needs that require frequent access to facilities such as Crohn's Disease, a condition that causes inflammation of the digestive system, have also been acutely affected.
Roseanna Grace, a pelvic floor physiotherapist, argued the closures are not sexist because men also battle incontinence and are also affected by this closure.
Cuts to council budgets have led to the closure of at least one in seven public toilets and the BTA estimates 80 per cent of councils had cut spending on maintenance. In 2010, there were 5,159 toilets run by major councils in the UK but by 2018 that figure had fallen to 4,486, according to the Royal Society for Public Health.
High street stores are gearing up to reopen from June 15, but the continued closure of pubs and restaurants means there are already fewer conveniences.
The Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government has issued a statement saying it 'strongly encourages' councils to reopen toilets 'wherever possible' and has released guidelines to help them ensure facilities are safe.
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