Yelp is adding a new attribute to business listings. This means that, alongside the ability to see whether a business accepts credit cards, serves alcohol, and is accessible to wheelchairs, users will now be able to see whether a business offers gender-neutral bathrooms.

Thanks to this additional information, Yelp users will, at a glance, be able to see whether a business offers gender-neutral bathrooms. This information, which will be listed alongside a range of other attributes, will be available on both the desktop and mobile versions of Yelp.

Yelp Defines Gender-Neutral Bathrooms

Yelp is also adding the option to search for businesses which offer gender-neutral bathrooms. This will help people who exclusively use gender-neutral bathrooms, or those who strongly support their use, to know what to expect ahead of actually visiting the business in question.

Yelp regards a restroom as being gender-neutral if it's a "locking, single-stall bathroom accessible to persons of any gender". This reflects the fact that more businesses are ripping out their designated male and female restrooms in favor of stalls available to all genders.

Yelp will collect this information in two ways. Business owners can simply log into their user account and edit the "Gender Neutral Restrooms" attribute. Meanwhile, users who check into or review businesses will be asked, "Does this business have Gender Neutral Restrooms?"

Businesses Seek to Become More Inclusive

With businesses seeking to become more inclusive, Yelp is simply reflecting a societal change. Adding the option to see whether a business offers gender-neutral bathrooms is a simple way of helping those for whom this is an important issue. And everyone else can just carry on as usual.

Do you view the attributes of businesses on Yelp before visiting? Which attributes have you actively searched for? Is the issue of gender-neutral bathrooms important to you? Are you pleased to see Yelp adding this information? Please let us know in the comments below!

Image Credit: Yameen9000 via Flickr