Gender role attitudes within the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.

This study presents a broad look at the gender role attitudes evident in Girl Scouting. The activities Girl Scouts engage in, the handbooks they use, and the behavior of Girl Scout leaders are all sources of potential influence on a young girl's gender role attitude development.

Various sources of information were used to learn about the Girl Scouts. Handbooks and other publications, proficiency badge sales data, and interviews with former Girl Scouts provided historical information about the attitudes of the national organization and how Girl Scouting was implemented at the troop level. Information about modern Girl Scouting was obtained through participant observation of local troops, interviews with Girl Scouts and Girl Scout leaders, and a survey of local Girl Scouts, their parents, and Girl Scout leaders.

The results of the study showed that Girl Scouting at the organizational level has presented differing focuses at different times in its history. In the beginning (1912) they had an outdoor orientation which reflected their Boy Scout origins. In the years after WWII Girl Scouting reflected shifts in national attitudes and increased its focus on home oriented activities. In response to the second sexual revolution of the 1970s, Girl Scouting took on a consciously feminist slant. The focus turned to preparing Girl Scouts for the work force and their expanding roles in society.

This study revealed that while the national organization of GSUSA provides a framework and an ideal, the real force in Girl Scouting is the leader. The Girl Scout leader influences the activities that are engaged in and sets the tone for the troop. Girl Scout leaders are typically middle class women who have sufficient time and the inclination to volunteer their services. Often women of this sort are either homemakers or employed in traditional, secondary income jobs. However, the women who direct Girl Scouting at the local and national level are professionals with advanced degrees. They bring to the organization a thoroughly modern attitude. This among other things has led to a consistent discrepancy between the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A's program design and what Girl Scouts actually do.