I remember this, not enough boys wanted to join. |
Except they do all of the activities with girls, including camping and camps. So no, they are not boy only spaces. |
That is completely dependent on the troop. There are still many boys-only troops/packs that don't do things with girls. There are also many functionally-coed troops/packs. If you can't find a boys-only troop, just post on your local facebook page or PTA group or whatever and I'm sure someone can help you connect. |
You're missing the point. Whatever the reason was for the organization to start accepting girls, they do as a matter of policy. Girl Scouts do not. |
Thin Mints, ftw! Never affiliated with Girl Scouts. I would gladly pay for those MLM cookies. To me it's a seasonal treat and an opportunity to be friendly to co-workers. No worse than Paul Newman's or Whole Foods cookie prices. Fundraising skills are relevant to adulthood...communicating objectives, asking for support, being part of a community, etc. The girls that are in it seem to be having fun and learning something. I do think it was a bit of a market share grab by the Boy Scouts but I can appreciate that some people want to affiliate with a single organization for their entire set of kids. |
Not true at all. There are still lots and lots boys-only troops and packs. 95% of Scouting activities will be only within the confines of your troop or pack. Sure, you may run across some girl Scouts BSA at a regional jamboree, but that's basically a once per year occurrence and no one is forcing your kid to even interact with them. Scouts BSA can be a "boys only" space if that's what you want for your kid and your family. It still exists, you just need to seek out a troop or pack that caters to boys-only. Search for yourself: https://beascout.scouting.org/ It even allows you to filter by "Girl Pack" or "Boy Pack" that are single gender. Within 20 miles of my DC zip code there are 44 boy-only Cub Scout packs. Knock yourself out. |
Just because Boy Scouts decided to do that doesn’t mean Girl Scouts should. I thought was strange when BS opened to girls but maybe they were struggling with enrollment. |
It really wasn't. In my personal experience, the girls who join Scouts BSA either (1) didn't want to be in Girl Scouts from the outset or (2) had tried GSUSA and didn't like the programming/culture. The girls joining Scouts BSA essentially were "falling through the cracks" in past decades if they were not involved in organized sports; they tend to embrace "nerd" culture a lot more than other girls (think: Dungeon & Dragons, STEM focused, tech, etc). Scouts BSA provides an excellent social outlet for girls who do not feel comfortable in Girl Scouts USA (and its focus on everything feminine) but also are not really into organized sports. |
PP and sure, you could be correct, I didn't look at the studies cited and whether they are too old to justify the position. But OP asked why and said they couldn't find an answer with Google. This is why. Maybe it's not defensible, but it's their stated reasoning. |
PP you are responding to and I'm very familiar. My son is in BSA. But again, you're missing the point. What used to be exclusively for boys is no longer. |
This has not been my experience with Girl Scouts as a kid or a mom of a scout. |
This is such a non issue. I have never met a boy over the age of 6 that wants to join Girl Scouts. I am a Girl Scout leader and a Boy Scout leader and am pretty familiar with both programs.
Incidentally, any children assigned male st birth who identify as girls can join Girl Scouts. They aren’t checking biological markers. |
Good example. I think of lot of people think of them as two branches of the same organization or two sides of the same coin. It's just not widely understood that they are completely separate and not related. |
Your "personal experience" seems pretty stereotyped and rings very false. GSUSA is not focused on everything feminine, it's focused on whatever the girls in a given troop are interested in doing. |
The cookies aren't my favorite part of Girl Scouts*, but my daughter definitely gets something out the sale in terms of learning to communicate to adults, handle rejection, set goals, etc. Girl Scouts is also very variable by troop, but I've never seen a troop that was either just about selling cookies or about "everything feminine." Our troop is about outdoor skills and STEM stuff mostly because that's what the troop enjoys. I've got a lot of criticisms of the Girl Scout program, but "it's all cookies" or "it's too feminine" are both pretty far off the mark in my experience. *I'm the cookie manager, but that's because it's a role I can fill as a father without issue |