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Ask the Chairman - Women and the Order

        Ask the Chairman

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Q. Dear Ray,

Why does the Order of the Arrow, i.e. the BROTHERHOOD, allow WOMEN to be members? I strongly disagree with this and I have two Arrowmen in my family. I would encourage women to become involved with the GIRL SCOUT organization, even if that means they need to create a similar type of service organization?

Amy


A. Hi, Amy:

Thanks for your question.

The OA allows women over 21 to be selected for membership because the Boy Scouts of America include them in their membership as adults and we are a Boy Scout program.

We have had many women serve with distinction in the Order of the Arrow. One woman currently serves on the Order of the Arrow National Committee and three women, so far, have been chosen to receive our Distinguished Service Award. Many women serve with distinction in troops and Varsity Teams as Scoutmasters and Assistant Scoutmasters across the nation. These dedicated, hard-working women use their positions to teach our boys about service. They volunteer to drive our boys to events, help with regalia development, and serve their councils through the OA.

But to simply address your question, we simply adopt the membership standards set by the Boy Scout Program. Since the Boy Scouts invite women in, we also accept women as members when they are selected by their units, districts, or councils.

Ray