The Girl Scout Oath Needs A Rewrite
I have dedicated my career to the empowerment of individuals, especially women so I have a bone to pick with the Girl Scouts of America. Having never been a Girl Scout I only came upon the Girl Scout Oath recently when the difference between the Girl Scout Oath and the Boy Scout Oath was brought to my attention.
I firmly believe that confidence building and providing environments where youth can become authentically strong, smart, and bold should start early on so I was very distressed to learn the differences in the two organizational oaths.
Here are the two oaths:
Girl Scout Oath
On my honor I will try to serve God and my country,
To help other people at all times, and to live by the Girl Scout Law.
Boy Scout Oath
On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.
******
What irks me the most is how the Girl Scouts take an oath to try and serve while the Boy Scouts swear that they will do their best to help others. Besides the obvious brevity in the Girl Scout Oath, I take umbrage with the fact that we are not empowering the girls of today to become the “doers” of tomorrow. There is no shame in trying but the verbiage does not exude confidence and strength in my humble opinion.
In all fairness, my research unearthed that Girl Scouts do some amazing things and are committed to fostering confidence, volunteerism, diversity, societal issues, and scholarship but the oath was coined in 1912 so ladies, please consider a revision!
The messaging we send to our children shapes their behavior as adults and I believe that Girl Scouts deserve to do their best just as Boy Scouts. It all boils down to gender messaging and eventually filters into the workplace when these girls reach adulthood.
If we can provide them with a non gender based opportunity to discover their strengths, do good work, and pay-it-forward to help others then we will move forward in breaking down the gender barriers that are still alive in the professional workplace today.
So the next time you buy Girl Scout cookies, ask your young scout what she is doing and applaud her for her good work.
February 8, 2012 @ 8:57 am
I understand the Girl Scouts describe it as a promise not an oath (a nitpick but it does allow those with religious scruples on taking oaths to take it). Also it is Girl Scouts of the USA not of America. The Boy Scouts of America and the GSUSA are two separate organizations which have sometimes scuffled in the past over names (the BSA tried to force the GSUSA to change their name back circa 1920, the Girl Scouts fought back). You might prefer the recently rewritten Canadian Guide promise (both they and the GSUSA belong to the same international organization, the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts [WAGGGS]).
I Promise to do my best,
To be true to myself, my beliefs and Canada
I will take action for a better world
And respect the Guiding Law
November 8, 2012 @ 9:39 pm
Actually the Girl Scout’s law, which we say to live by in the promise, uses the same “I will do my best” terminology as the Boy Scout’s oath. So we are equal with the boys in that regard. And I think we have higher standing, due to the fact that we don’t reject homosexuals and atheists.
May 6, 2022 @ 5:00 pm
That is great that atheists are not disallowed, but they are still vowing to serve a god everything they go to meeting.
January 30, 2013 @ 6:47 pm
You are quoting the Girl Scout promise. They also have an oath. It is I will do my best to be
honest and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong, and
responsible for what I say and do,
and to
respect myself and others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.
In addition, they slogan for “the year of the girl” 100 years of Girl Scouts is “One girl CAN make a difference, girls together CAN change the world”.
Everything I’ve ever seen from personally being a Girl Scout (over 30 years ago), to raising my daughters with girls scouts as a part of their life, has always been about empowering young women to believe in who they are and what they can do to make their future successful and the world a better place.
March 8, 2014 @ 3:07 pm
This is the Girl Scout Law, not the Oath (or Promise). When I was in Girl Scouts years ago, the Girl Scouts had the Oath and the Brownies had the Brownie Promise. Girl Scouts has undergone several revisions since the 70’s to make it “more relevant to the girls of today”. I was a leader for almost 10 years, until I could no longer bear the what the organization had become. It is no more than a social club for girls.
October 30, 2019 @ 7:32 am
Caroline, I am shocked that you would write about something about a topic that you clearly know nothing about. There is a Girl Scout Promise which references a larger more encompassing Girl Scout Law. There is no Girl Scout Oath. Do your research next time.
October 30, 2019 @ 2:27 pm
I am grateful for your feedback, Betsy and stand corrected as the Girl Scout Promise does reference the more encompassing Girl Scout Law. You are wise to point this out and I appreciate your insight.
June 15, 2021 @ 6:37 pm
I am an agnostic humanist and proud of it. Even though agnostics and atheists are accepted they must still recite the oath which refers to a god. All they can do is not say god when the oath is said. Not acceptable! I will not buy cookies and tell others of a like mind also to not buy cookies!
May 6, 2022 @ 4:58 pm
I would love them to leave the gods out of it. I would like to see something like
I promise to respect myself and others
Do what is right not what is easiest and then say something about the girl scout way.