The Boy Scouts of America are changing their name to “Scouts BSA” as a sign that they don’t care about the gender of their members. This isn’t great news for the Girl Scouts, and it highlights the contradictions in contemporary gender politics.
When the Boy Scouts decided to draft girls last year, they ran headlong into a feminist backlash. Though long a sort of unofficial sister organization, the Girl Scouts of America were shocked by the decision. The Boy Scouts might think gender is just a construct but the Girl Scouts made it clear they identified with “the single-gender environment.”
“Girl Scouts is the best girl leadership organization in the world, created with and for girls,” the organization wrote in an statement last October. “We believe strongly in the importance of the all-girl, girl-led, and girl-friendly environment that Girl Scouts provides, which creates a free space for girls to learn and thrive.”
The move away from gender by the Boy Scouts wasn’t a decision made in the best interest of the kids, the Girl Scouts argue. It was an effort to steal their scouts. That tension was evident last year when the Girl Scouts told ABC that “the Boy Scouts’ house is on fire,” citing alleged financial mismanagement and deficient programming. “BSA’s senior management wants to add an accelerant to the house fire by recruiting girls.”
We’re the BEST leadership organization in the world for girls and no one can do what we do. Diversity is our strength. ????? https://t.co/FW8cAkVzct pic.twitter.com/Y5vFc5gzJZ
— Girl Scouts (@girlscouts) October 11, 2017
The frustration is understandable as both groups compete for kids at a moment when exploring the outdoors loses some of its appeal to more addictive digital pastimes. Membership, as the AP reports, has been trending downward for sometime. The ranks of the Boy Scouts have shrunk to about 2.3 million today, down from 2.6 million in 2013 and 4 million at its peak. The Girl Scouts, on the other hand, have about 1.76 million girls down from 2 million just four years ago.
Looking at those numbers, it’s clear that the Boy Scouts will welcome girls and the resources their membership brings. But the Girls Scouts have made it clear they aren’t going to just give up.
“Girl Scouts is the premier leadership development organization for girls,” Sylvia Acevedo, Girl Scouts CEO, told the AP when asked about the Boy Scouts name change. “We are, and will remain, the first choice for girls and parents who want to provide their girls opportunities to build new skills … and grow into happy, successful, civically engaged adults.”
