What’s your opinion on female Scoutmasters?

Tuesday-TalkbackWe’ve come a long way since Catherine Pollard of Milford, Conn., became the first female Scoutmaster in 1988.

That’s when the BSA did away with gender restrictions on volunteer positions, allowing Pollard to lead a troop.

“I do think that this is marvelous,” Pollard said at the time, “because there have been women all over the United States, in fact all over the world, that have been doing these things for the Boy Scouts because they could not get a male leader.”

Pollard paved the way for countless other female Scoutmasters since.

Women like Sandra Vallejo (pictured above), a Scouter in the BSA’s Puerto Rico Council. Just last week she was “given the honor and privilege of being the new Scoutmaster of my troop,” she writes.

Now she’s looking to Scouters like you for guidance.

“I’m curious,” she writes, “is it possible for you to ask your readers their opinion on women being Scoutmasters?”

For today’s Tuesday Talkback, please share those opinions on questions like:

  • Has your troop had a female Scoutmaster?
  • If so, was she fairly treated by her male peers?
  • What, if any, challenges did she overcome in that role?
  • What advice can you give Sandra as she takes over this new position?

What the BSA says

I can’t leave you without sharing the BSA stance on this. In the organization’s official FAQs page, this question is included:

Can women be Boy Scout leaders?

Yes. Every leadership position is open to women. In fact, more than one-third of Scout volunteers are women.

Other Tuesday Talkbacks

Join past discussions here.


About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.