Low-Socioeconomic Status Students and Decision-Making behind Sorority Membership

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 11:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Bourdieu and Inequalities

Abstract

Many individuals describe sorority and fraternity life as a core aspect of their college experience. Though some literature reveals mixed findings on the benefits of these organizations on student-level experiences while enrolled in higher education, other findings indicate that students prize their time in sororities and fraternities long after graduation. We know less about the student-level decision-making process for opting in or opting out of sorority membership, particularly for students who are income-constrained. This longitudinal, qualitative study of 22 women at a private university affiliated with wealth answers that question using focused ethnographic methods. We apply an updated version of Bourdieu’s theory of social capital to understand students’ decision-making and thus understanding sorority and fraternity participation as means for capital transmission.

Authors

• Sarah Ann Harris, Baylor University

• Saralyn McKinnon-Crowley, Baylor University

• Hunter Kulesza, Baylor University

• Tiffani Hoot, Baylor University