Debbie Janson, Senior Lecturer of Engineering Management at the University of Bath, delves into the often overlooked challenges women face in male-heavy work environments. From inaccessible restrooms to inadequate sanitary facilities, these everyday issues highlight a significant gap in workplace inclusivity, calling for urgent attention to create truly equitable working conditions.
You’ve been on the road or working in the yard all morning. You need to pee. You check your watch; it’s nearly your break, and you figure you can hold on until then. Breaktime looms, and you pop to the loo. They’re a bit (a lot) grubby and they stink of, well, what toilets stink of. There’s an empty loo roll tube hanging on a dirty piece of string, looped around an old woodscrew into the OSB wall. But that’s how it is.
The black toilet seat has been leant up against the wall next to the enamel bowl, and there’s a half-used 4-pack of value toilet roll on the other. You do your business and wash your hands with a squirt of watered-down hand soap, and with a well-intentioned aggressive shake of the hands under the struggling hand dryer, you’re on your way. Sound familiar? It might do, but if you’re a woman in this, and many other industries, there’s a good chance it doesn’t.
When women need to use the toilet in a male-heavy environment, there are a whole range of issues they might encounter. Firstly, there might not even be a separate toilet for them. But what about gender equality? I hear you cry… can’t we all share? No, we can’t. Women need a separate and safe space to go to the toilet. To many women, gender-neutral spaces are simply men’s spaces. Some workplaces that may have only had a male workforce in the past have opted to make the conveniences gender-neutral. They believe this covers all bases in the gender-fluid society we live in. However, whilst this is an easy solution on paper, having women walk past a line of urinals whilst men pee is not a comfortable situation (often for those men too).
When there is an allocated toilet for women in male-heavy workplaces, quite often, they are reported as being locked. Women find themselves having to ask for a key to be able to use the conveniences. This usually isn’t intended as any sort of power plan by their male bosses (though for some women, they report it feeling like it is), but the common response is that the women’s toilets are locked so that the male workers don’t use and abuse them. Whilst we would like to think that we are all hygienic grown-ups at work, the (usually male) supervisors don’t trust that to be the case, and locking the women’s toilets is well intentioned.
If the toilets are available and are unlocked, there are likely further issues. Many women report that they are used as an additional storage space. Boxes of blue roll, loo roll and other disposable or low-value items can often be found stacked from floor to ceiling. Those wishing to use the toilet have to remove stock and create a corridor through to the toilet itself. Clearly, this isn’t a great situation, especially if you’re desperate or you’re on a short break.
There are also issues when it comes to using and disposing of menstrual products. It is common for there to be no bins in cubicles, or if they exist, they might not be emptied. With the disposal of menstrual products often requiring a commercially contracted service, this can be an afterthought for those workplaces that are now finding an increasing number of women on their workforce. Menstrual products are also changing. Those who use a menstrual cup, for example, need access to soap and running water in order to maintain hygiene. Antiseptic gel doesn’t wash.
So, what is the answer? Unlocked and unabused toilets that are not used as storerooms, with running water and soap, and a process for providing and emptying bins for menstrual products. It doesn’t seem like much to ask if workplaces are truly considerate, inclusive, and equitable.
Some organisations go a step further and provide spare products for those caught short; small gestures like this can have a huge effect on female employees’ sense of belonging and inclusivity. In an age where we see the benefits of a diverse workforce, anything we can do to encourage women to enter and persist in traditionally male-heavy roles is surely positive.
If you would like advice from Debbie, please email her at d.j.janson@bath.ac.uk
