> I would also have to overcome the fear of the work shower room (singular). And figure out how to dry my hair and do my make-up to make myself presentable for work - all in the confines of one slightly grotty space.
This points out that "fresh smelling" isn't the only factor. In general, women are held to higher standards regarding hair and makeup than men are.
I know this from firsthand experience. I have kept my hair short like a man for about a decade. It makes a really huge difference in terms of what is needed for me to look presentable. I can just shower and wash my hair and not even dry it and my hair looks fine. With even a few inches of hair, you simply can't do that. It looks terrible and also drips all over your clothes.
I still think I was held to lower standards. Though now that I think about it, it's not like my jobs had high standards, either formal or informal.
When I say "lower standards", that includes my own low standards. That is, I remember going out with still-wet hair, including one time when I felt like I had a stick caught in my hair, only to realized that no, it had simply frozen.