Today in the Scouts, boys have more opportunities than girls. This issue is causing upheaval among equal rights advocates. Due to protests made by these advocates, girls are now able to join the Boy Scouts, but combining them does not solve the problem. Rather, Girl Scouts should have the same opportunities as the Boy Scouts because of the strive towards equality, scholarship opportunities, and Title IX.
The push for equality is a goal yet to be reached, due to the lack of opportunities for girls as opposed to boys. When it comes to extracurricular activities, such as sports, jobs, and the Scouts, girls are unrepresented (Denny 3). Research has proven that in most activities boys outnumber girls. While the Boy Scouts take adventurous trips over the summer, Girl Scouts are stuck selling cookies in their home town in order to fundraise their own small, summer trip. These issues should be addressed without the need to combine the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts.
Not only should the Girl and Boy Scouts have equal rights, but they should also be able to partake in the same activities. In today s society, some activities have restricted girls from participating because they simply do not follow certain gender roles (Rothschild 1). While Boy Scouts get to go camping and take part in fun community service, Girl Scouts stay in a local area and sell cookies so that they will have enough money to go on a small trip over the summer. These girls should be known for their incredible service and fun activities, not selling cookies. Although selling cookies is not the only activity that the Girl Scouts do, it is what most people think of when they think of the Girl Scouts. In fact, they only sell cookies once a year in order to fundraise for their yearly trip.
Girl Scouts should also be able to achieve the same ranks as the Boy Scouts. While Boy Scout ranks are determined by hard work, Girl Scout ranks are determined by age and merit badges (Brait 1). There are seven possible ranks for Boy Scouts that include: Scout, Tenderfoot, Second-class, First-class, Star, Life, and Eagle (Brait 1). Although there are ranks for the Girl Scouts, they are not as well known. Their available ranks from youngest to oldest ages are the Daises for kindergarteners and first graders, Brownies for second and third graders, Juniors for fourth and fifth graders, Cadettes for middle schoolers, Seniors for freshmen and sophomores, and Ambassadors for sophomores, juniors, and seniors (Brait 1). Not only should their ranks be more well known, but they should also allow the girls to achieve scholarships.
Scholarships should be more widely distributed among the Girl Scouts in order to recognize them for their incredible services. It is not fair that while the Boy Scouts get full scholarships to prestigious colleges, Girl Scouts get partial scholarships to state colleges. According to the Boy Scouts of America, dozens of universities, BSA local councils, and religious, civic and military organizations offer scholarships to Eagle Scouts (Scholarship America 1). Even though the Girl Scouts have a variety of scholarships offered, they are limited to a few national, state, and local colleges (Scholarship America 2). The scholarships offered to Girl Scouts are not as outstanding as the scholarships offered to Boy Scouts.
The scholarships offered to Girl Scouts should be awarded for the same achievements that Boy Scouts have reached. Even though the Boy Scouts may participate in more activities than Girl Scouts, they should both still get the same scholarship opportunities. Both the Girl and Boy Scouts work equally hard in order to set a good example and be a successful leader. If the girls work hard, then they should be able to get a full scholarship just like the boys do. Not only should they be of equal importance, but of an equal amount of money.
The Girl and Boy Scouts scholarships should be of equal worth. Over the past couple of decades, scholarships offered to the Boy Scouts are worth more money than scholarships offered to the Girl Scouts. A recently written article has stated, Where as Boy Scout scholarships range from $1,000 to $50,000, scholarships for Girl Scouts range from $250 to $14,800 (Rothschild 1 and 2). Even though the Girl Scouts do not have as high of ranks as the Boy Scouts, they should at least have the chance to achieve these high level scholarships. God made male and female equal, so therefore they should be able to strive for the same thing (Bible). It is because of these reasons that Girl Scouts should be offered the same scholarships as Boy Scouts.
While arguing this topic, Title IX is an excellent reference point. Title IX is a part of the amendments and it is says that no American citizen, on the basis of sex, shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program. This means that no matter what gender someone is, no one should prohibit them from participating in any given sport or extracurricular activity. An article about Title IX has stated, Although Title IX is best known for breaking down barriers in sports for women and girls, it also opens the door for girls to pursue math and science, requires fair treatment for pregnant and parenting students, and protects students from bullying and sexual harassment, among other things (New and Newsworthy 1). This can also be implied to the Girl Scouts. Title IX discusses the issue of combining the Girl and Boy Scouts.
There are many issues with combining the Girl and Boy Scouts. First, the boys could take advantage of the girls and make them do inappropriate things. Second, they would not be able to go camping, because of the different genders and hormonal issues associated with pubescent teenagers. Third, it would be very awkward because of the differences. With this being said, they should still be offered the same activities and opportunities.
The Girl Scouts should be offered the same activities and opportunities as Boy Scouts. If they have the same activities, then the Boy Scouts would not have to worry about the girls joining their troops uninvitedly. Since the Boy Scouts are a more masculine activity, having the girls separate allows them to complete the tasks and activities at their own pace (Arneil 54). Separating the Girl and Boy Scouts also allows them to partake in more fun activities than if they were combined. Just because they are not combined, does not mean they can not still do some activities together.
In contrast to this debate, girl Scouts are just joining the Boy Scouts for extra attention and special treatment. Civil rights advocates and feminists are not educated in this issue and have clearly not read the Constitution. In the United States Constitution, it is made clear that men and women are equal, so that means that the girls can do any activities they want and not be judged. If the Girl Scouts wanted more activities and opportunities, then their troop leaders should do a better job planning and fundraising. They should do more fundraising than just selling cookies once a year. The only reason that the Boy Scouts take such adventurous trips is because they have amazing troop leaders who are willing to do whatever it takes to help the boys fundraise enough money to go on the trip. Since the Scouts is a masculine activity, the Boy Scouts are more popular. The fact that the girls are unrightfully intruding into the Boy Scouts is horrendous because that prevents the boys from having as much fun with their friends. This may keep them from acting like boys since there would be girls present. There are many issues with the girls joining the Boy Scouts, so it is not clear what exactly prompted the Boy Scouts to allow this.
Even though this is a controversial topic, people should always refer back to the Bible for answers. Sometimes the Bible is taken out of context, which makes it impossible to see the truth. In the Bible, God says men and women are equal. This simply means that we are alike in that He created us equally in His image for a purpose. Although He created us equal, He also created us all different in order to fulfill His will to fill the earth with His Grace and Mercy.
Due to the problems caused by these two separate groups, girls are now able to join the Boy Scouts. Although this may be a temporary fix, it could cause problems in the future. Girl Scouts should have equal opportunities without having to join the Boy Scouts due to the problems that could occur. Not only should they be offered the same activities, but they should also be presented with the same scholarship opportunities for their hard work and dedication to their troop. To conclude, Girl Scouts should have the same opportunities as the Boy Scouts because of the strive towards equality, scholarship opportunities, and Title IX.