Advertisement

M&S forced to change lavatory signs after complaints of sexism

The toilet signs at Marks and Spencer at the Holmbush Centre in Shoreham, Sussex which customer Sharon Sawyer had branded as sexist - Brighton Pictures/ Sharon Sawyer 
The toilet signs at Marks and Spencer at the Holmbush Centre in Shoreham, Sussex which customer Sharon Sawyer had branded as sexist - Brighton Pictures/ Sharon Sawyer

M&S has been forced to change lavatory signs in their stores after complaints of sexism. 

A customer at the chain's Holmbush store in Shoreham spotted that the female toilet sign showed a woman with a baby while the sign for male toilet just showed a man, and claimed this suggested that only women look after children. 

Writing on Facebook, Sharon Sawyer said: "I was surprised and disappointed at the pictures for the toilets.

"I expected being a family store that you understood that families very much share children's needs and personal care, not just women. 

"The picture shows a woman and child. The picture in the comments just shows a man, why?"

The male toilet sign at Marks and Spencer at the Holmbush Centre in Shoreham, Sussex - Credit: Brighton Pictures/ Sharon Sawyer
The male toilet sign at Marks and Spencer at the Holmbush Centre in Shoreham, Sussex Credit: Brighton Pictures/ Sharon Sawyer

She added: "This is in your Holmbush store at Shoreham. Please could you explain why this happened in your recent revamp and what plans you have to ensure that if you continue with these signs that both signs reflect or just have no pictures of children in for the future.

"It has nothing to do with baby changing. They are the entrances to the male and female toilets, there are no baby changing facilities in the toilets. It's just plain sexist for all concerned, men and women. Symbols means a lot."

Jenni Readman also commented: "The signage represents an outdated assumption that women will be the only ones taking children to the toilet as there is nowhere, according to the signage in this store, for men to take children to the toilet."

The design was also condemned by Sussex Police hate crime ambassador Sergeant Peter Allan, who wrote on the Facebook thread: "This should not be happening in 2017."

A spokesperson for Marks and Spencer said that the signs were in stores nationwide but would be changed where applicable.

She said: "Our baby changing facilities are in a unisex area and we also provide a baby changing mat in both the male and female toilet facilities."

She added that the high street chain will be adding an image of a child onto all the signs for male toilets if baby changing facilities were available.