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.
Date Defended
4-1-2022
Thesis Director
Allison, Rachel
Second Committee Member
Thompson, Diego
Third Committee Member
Vivier, Eric
Recommended Citation
Harrington, Anne Elizabeth, "“Being a Chi O to a Fraternity Boy is the Greatest Thing That Could Happen”: Reputation, Heterosocialization, and Status Among Sorority Women" (2022). Honors Theses. 97.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/honorstheses/97
