A NEW report on public facilities suggests that toilet provisions for women in the U.K. must be boosted so there are two female toilets to every male one, a concern shared by advocates in China.

The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) recommends new laws governing female toilets in the U.K., and cites existing “potty parity” laws in the United States and Canada, where a two-to-one ratio is mandated in some jurisdictions.

A two-to-one ratio is recommended “because of time consuming factors related to clothing, menstruation, and anatomical differences,” reads the report.

The existing British standard is 1:1.

It also says more unisex facilities are needed to ensure equality of access, as well as better provision for transgender individuals.

Providing enough toilets is particularly important for people with health conditions which necessitate frequent toilet use, including diabetes or bowel conditions, forcing people to stay at home more often than they would like.

Some also deliberately dehydrate themselves because of a lack of public toilets, which is known to have negative health effects.

The lack of toilet facilities also has an impact on efforts to reduce obesity and keep elderly people active, the authors say.

“Our report highlights that the dwindling public toilet numbers in recent years is a threat to health, mobility, and equality that we cannot afford to ignore,” said RSPH CEO Shirley Cramer.

“It is a health burden that falls disproportionately on already disadvantaged groups.”

“Although they often go unnoticed, public toilets are an extremely important and necessary part of any urban environment,” said Tony Rheinberg, healthcare and commercial marketing manager at bathroom manufacturer Armitage Shanks.

“This has been made all too clear with this research which shows how a lack of facilities can have a significant impact on public health and wellbeing.”

Chinese authorities have recommended a 3:2 ratio in the provision of female toilets and male toilets in public venues, but the guideline has not been strictly followed.

It’s also necessary to add more temporary toilets in parks during big events, as demonstrated by the long queues at female toilets in the Fairy Lake Botanical Garden during a recent flower show.

(SD-Agencies)