The Boy Scouts has offered girls limited access to some programs before, but it has never before welcomed them into its core Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts programs. And the introduction of girls still does not mean that Boy Scouts’ gatherings will necessarily include both genders. For the Boy Scouts, the change is also a chance to boost its sagging membership. In April, the Boy Scouts began exploring the possibility of opening more widely to girls after receiving inquiries from its members, a spokeswoman for the Boy Scouts, Effie Delimarkos, said. But the Girl Scouts’ top award “is just not held as high or as valuable in people’s minds, and I’m not sure why.”

Source: New York Times October 11, 2017 17:24 UTC