Not so girl-led: Collective concerted cultivation in Girl Scouts of the United States of America

Abstract

In a context in which Western children’s leisure time has become increasingly adult-managed, Girl Scouts of the United States of America seeks to distinguish itself from other extracurriculars with a “girl-led” program. However, based on participant observation and interviews with Girl Scout volunteers, I find that Girl Scouts is more parent-led than girl-led as concerted cultivation and intensive parenting moves into an organizational setting. Specifically, parents work together to promote the accumulation of cultural and social capital though collective concerted cultivation, which ultimately limits the autonomy of children and reproduces childhood inequality even in an organizational setting.