Navigating the Tides of Change: Girls’ Experiences in Scouts BSA

On February 1, 2019, Boy Scouts of America officially accepted girls into its signature program (ages 11–18) and changed its name to Scouts BSA. This historic shift provided a novel opportunity for researchers to investigate the experiences of some of the first 13 girls to enter this traditionally all-boy space and examine how participation influenced sense of self and purpose. A qualitative phenomenological approach was adopted to explore girls’ experiences and perceptions and meanings they constructed, using secondary data consisting of 38 transcribed interviews from all 13 girls. Girls ranged in age from 12–18 years old (M = 13.72, SD = 1.51), were mostly white (84.6%), and came from predominantly upper middle-income households (69.2%). Our analysis revealed expanded sense of self and empowerment to be the essences of girls’ experiences in Scouts BSA, which contributed to identity and purpose development. Subthemes included feelings of competence and confidence, embracing “boy activities,” and focus on rank advancement.