Children are exposed to plenty of gender-mixed spacesyes and no. scouting is a unique activity. very different from school and other spaces. the things you learn in scouting are not what you learn in school, and therefore it matters that kids experience the other gender in the scouting context too. boys need to see that girls have the same scouting skills. just like it matters that girls can take a car mechanic class in high school, and boys can take a class on homemaking and learn sowing and other things generally seen as girl activities. just being together in school is not enough if the activities are not also shared. scouting can make a big difference here because it offers a broad range of activities that both genders can participate in.
as a teen or even as an adult, you need to consider how the opposite sex sees you, what "signals" you send, or you will almost certainly be unhappy for it
disagree. this is a cultural problem that we need to get rid of. way to much focus is put on how we are seen by others. i'd want to claim that this is a distinct american problem, but it happens elsewhere too, except in most other places it is not normalized. we teach children to ignore it and not give in to the idea that they should pay attention to what the other gender thinks of them.
I think it's more insulting to suggest men can't be trusted to be left alone with each other or they'll become toxic.
fair, that was a bit exaggerated. but it's not far from the truth. that men change their behavior when women are present is documented. it is a known workplace issue. it's a risk in boys groups in that individual boys that learn this behavior from elsewhere (from home for example) tend to be dominating (because it is a dominating behavior) and thus strongly influence the behavior of the group as a whole if not put in check.