Boy Scout Open Membership to Include Girls
On Wednesday Oct. 11, the Boy Scouts of America made the decision to allow girls to join their organization after a 100-year tradition of being gender exclusive. The choice has caused controversy among the once cordial relationship between the BSA and Girl Scouts of the United States of America.
After years of requests, the BSA unanimously approved of the proposal to allow females into the program.
The Boy Scouts association promotes character development in young boys with a wide range of activities that exercise spiritual growth, sportsmanship and adventure. These boys start as Cub Scouts and eventually move on to Boy Scouts, often striving for the highest ranking attainable: Eagle Scout. Currently, the BSA membership is at 2.4 million participants.
The Girl Scouts prides itself as an all-female organization responsible for promoting leadership skills in young girls. With a membership of 1.8 million girls, the Girl Scouts were founded in 1912. Girl Scout troops are run by volunteers who assist with activities like homemaking and crafts. Those in favor of opening the Boy Scouts to girls argue that girls should not be bound to participating in gender normative activities.
Starting next year, girls will be able to join Cub Scouts, an introductory program for the Boy Scouts program, and are eligible to receive the Eagle Scout Award— the highest achievement possible for a Boy Scout.
Many Girl Scout officials have denounced the decision to allow girls to become Boy Scouts, fearing that it may decrease participation in Girl Scouts. In August, a letter from Girl Scouts President Kathy Hopinkah Hanna was leaked into the public accusing the Boys Scouts of attempting to boost their steadily declining membership. Additionally, past issues with sexual abuse in the Boy Scouts concerns many Girl Scout leaders.
Representatives from the Girl Scouts claim that their program is still unmatched when it comes to instilling leadership skills in girls.
“We have so much research and data that suggests that girls really thrive in an environment where they can experiment, take risk and stretch themselves in the company of other girls,” said Lisa Margosian, a chief customer officer for the Girl Scouts, in an interview.
The Boy Scouts claim that they are promoting gender equality by including girls into their program. They want to offer girls the same opportunities that boys receive. In recent years, the BSA has allowed openly gay and transgender youth, moving toward total inclusiveness of the nation’s growing diversity. In 2015, after the 2013 permitting openly gay scouts, the board agreed to allow openly gay scout leaders.
“The values of Scouting— trustworthy, loyal, helpful, kind, brave and reverent, for example— are important for both young men and women. We strive to bring what our organization does best— developing character and leadership for young people— to as many families and youth as possible as we help shape the next generation of leaders,” Chief Scout Michael Surbaugh said in a statement.
