Degree

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Major(s)

Sociology; Psychology

Document Type

Immediate Open Access

Abstract

Since their establishment, National Panhellenic Conference sororities have existed to maintain traditional white femininity and womanhood in an age of women’s higher education. A central aspect of this traditional womanhood was marriage, so sororities focused heavily on appealing to and socializing with men, called “heterosocialization.” Drawing on in-depth interviews with 19 women affiliated with 8 National Panhellenic Conference sororities at Mississippi State University, I examine how a woman’s reputation and status – and thus her access to heterosocialization opportunities - in the Greek system is still dependent on her appeal to fraternity men. There is a clear and consistent, but informal, hierarchy that establishes some chapters as “top-tier” and others as the “bottom-tier.” I find that these rankings are based upon the chapter’s reputation, which originates with fraternity men. A reputation that appeals to men – namely “good girl” femininity and physical attractiveness – earns the chapter a spot in the “toptier.” Findings indicate that heterosocialization remains a major focus of sororities, and women in the top-tier sororities have exclusive access to a network of fraternity men because of the status and reputation that fraternity men have given them. Thus, the Greek system illustrates a microcosm where a woman’s place in the social system is not only determined by how well she appeals to men, but also determines her access to the most valuable resource in the system – men.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.54718/ZDCQ2461

Date Defended

4-1-2022

Thesis Director

Allison, Rachel

Second Committee Member

Thompson, Diego

Third Committee Member

Vivier, Eric

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