Girl Scouts v Boy Scouts – what's the difference?

As five California girls fight to join the boys-only organization, the Guardian looks at how the American scouting programs differ in activities, badges and more

A group of five Girl Scouts in northern California are fighting to join the Boy Scouts, saying that they found the girls’ group to be too sedate.

Allie Westover, Skyler Westover, Ella Jacobs, Daphne Mortenson and Taylor Alcozer – who call themselves the Unicorns – aren’t the first girls to try to join the 105-year-old boys-only organization, according to the New York Times. Since the 1970s, a dozen have tried to get admitted. No one has been successful.

The Guardian looked at the differences between the two organizations.

What are the different ranks?

The rankings for Boy Scouts are broken into seven phases: Scout, Tenderfoot, Second-class, First-class, Star, Life and Eagle. In order to move from one level to another, Boy Scouts must meet with a scout master to review their progress and then appear before a board of review, where six officials will either approve or deny their advancement.

The Girl Scouts offer programs for those in kindergarten through grade 12. A scout’s level is determined by their age and the merit badges they have earned. The six levels are: Daisies (kindergarten-grade 1), Brownies (grades 2-3), Juniors (grades 4-5), Cadettes (grades 6-8), Seniors (grades 9-10) and Ambassadors (grades 10-12).

What activities do they take part in?

From Scout to First-class, Boy Scouts learn about scouting ideals and pass requirements in physical fitness, citizenship and personal growth. During the later ranks, Boy Scouts develop their leadership skills and perform community service.

From kindergarten through fifth grade, Girl Scouts can “earn badges, join a troop, hike and camp and participate in the cookie program”. From sixth grade onwards, they can “also explore careers in science and technology, travel the world, discover nature and take on projects that transform their community”.

Despite the similarities between the programs, a 2011 study in Gender & Society, a journal focused on gender studies, found that Girl Scouts are generally discouraged from scientific pursuits while Boy Scouts are pushed away from artistic interests.

The study found that the girls are offered more art activities than the boys, but science activities make up only 2% of their activities and 6% for the boys. The girls’ activities are more communal, with 30% of their badge work taking place in groups, while the boys work is more self-oriented with less than 20% of their work taking place in a group.

The study also found that boys were instructed to look for answers in the back of their guide, something that “fosters intellectual dependence and passivity”, whereas girls were encouraged to do original research.

What do they sell?

Boy Scouts sell either popcorn or fertilizer. Girl Scouts take part in the cookie program during which they sell their famous Girl Scout cookies. Their website claims they learn “goal setting”, “decision making”, “money management”, “people skills” and “business ethics”.

What badges can they earn?

There are over 100 merit badges offered to Boy Scouts in subject areas including sports, crafts, science, trades, business and future careers. In order to earn a badge, a scout must pick the subject they’re interested in, meet with a merit badge counselor, complete the task, and then present either the finished product or their new knowledge to the counselor.

The Girl Scouts also offer a range of badges, in areas including first aid, crafting and practical life skills. Scouts must prove themselves proficient in an area before receiving a badge. Some subjects (cookie business, financial literacy, skill building, etc) have progression badges, where scouts earn a higher level in the same subject area as they grow increasingly proficient. They also offer the Make Your Own Badge option for those scouts whose interests lie outside of the offerings.

What’s the highest award offered?

The highest rank a Boy Scout can achieve is Eagle Scout. To earn this rank, they must pass through all the preceding ranks, earn 21 merit badges, including 12 core subjects (such as first aid, camping and environmental science), spend six months in a troop leadership position, meet with a scout master and finally “plan, develop, and give leadership to a service project for any religious organization or any school or community”. After completing all of these tasks, the Boy Scout must also appear in front of an Eagle Scout board of review.

The highest award a Girl Scout can earn is a Gold Award. Preceding this, there is the Silver Award and Bronze Award. In order to earn a Gold Award, the scout must be in high school and must complete a seven-step program to solve “a community problem”. The steps are: “identify an issue”, “investigate it thoroughly”, “get help and build your team”, “create a plan”, “present your plan and gather feedback”, “take action” and “educate and inspire”. Some past projects that earned Gold Awards included raising awareness about child abuse in Puerto Rico and raising awareness of historically segregated schools that shaped the education of many African American students in the south. Every year, 10 recipients of the Gold Award are additionally honored as National Young Women of Distinction.

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