Exploring Masculinity in Fraternity Greek Life David Butter

Florida State University Libraries 2017 Exploring Masculinity in Fraternity Greek Life David Butter Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & PUBLIC POLICY EXPLORING MASCULINITY IN FRATERNITY GREEK LIFE By DAVID BUTTER A Thesis submitted to the Department of Sociology in partial ulillment of the requirements or raduation with Honors in the Major Degree Awarded: Spring, 2017 Exploring Masculinity in Fraternity Greek Life Butter 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ..É3 Chapter 2ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ..É...9 Chapter 3ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ11 Chapter 4ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ16 Chapter 5ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ24 Chapter 6ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ31 Chapter 7ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ36 Chapter 8ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ41 ReferencesÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ..47 Appendix AÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ49 Appendix BÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ53 Exploring Masculinity in Fraternity Greek Life Butter 3 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW Subject of Study Every year, thousands of young men participate in the rush process to acquire bids of membership into collegiate fraternities. In the 2014-2015 academic year, the number of men initiated into fraternities exceeded 100,000 (North-American Interfraternity Conference 2016), many without a clue about what membership entailed. Fraternities work hard to create a macho image and are vitally concerned—more than with anything else—with masculinity (Martin and Hummer 1989; Ross 1999; Stuber 2011). How do fraternities create a sociocultural context that encourages ideals of traditional masculinity? With this research, I hope to uncover the factors that lead fraternity members to practice traditional masculinity and perhaps the factors that undermine it. Below I describe the literature that grounds my study, how I will investigate my research question, and a description of my timeline for completion. Literature Review Much academic coverage concerns fraternity gang rape (see for example, Martin and Hummer 1989; Sanday 1990). Yet gang rape is not the only reason masculinity in fraternities is interesting. Fraternities represent an organizational context that fosters the social construction of masculinity and an example of how it is constructed. This research project explores how fraternities sometimes sustain and sometimes undermine traditional masculinity. According to Sandra Lipsetz Bem (1993), masculinity and femininity are the constructions of a cultural schema that polarizes people into two supposedly opposite genders. She approaches gender from Exploring Masculinity in Fraternity Greek Life Butter 4 three “lenses” that serve as the foundation of a theory about how male power is reproduced. Two apply to this research: androcentrism and gender polarization. I develop each below. Lens One: Androcentrism Androcentrism emphasizes that men are treated as human and women are treated as the “other” (Bem 1993). Through this lens, men define everything in relation to themselves, including women, who they see as objects rather than as subjects of their own lives. Androcentrism has existed since Ancient Greece, and Greek philosopher Plato explained that women are the private property of the male-dominated family, and fellow philosopher Aristotle argued that being a female is a natural deficiency. These ancient Greek theories assumed that natural difference justified political inequalities. This movement made its way into modern-day constitutional documents, for example the Doctrine of Coverture and the Doctrine of Family Privacy. Both stipulate that upon marriage, a woman’s legal rights and obligations are subsumed by those of her husband. Androcentrism does not only explain who is in power, but also how the power is reproduced (Bem 1993). This lens is evident in fraternity culture (1993). The concept of androcentrism is a pillar of my research because an overwhelming majority of my respondents explained that women are secondary accessories in fraternity culture. Susan Brownmiller’s, Against Our Will (1975) notes that the female body is objectified, and many of my interviewees supported this theory when they mentioned that during the fraternity recruitment process women are used as objects to attract new members (1975). Additionally, Michael Kimmel (2008) explains that a man’s prestige depends on the quantity of his sexual activity, and this idea plays out in the opposite way for women. Kimmel (2008: 192) says that: “women who join the party run the risk of encountering the same old double standard that no amount of feminist progress seems able to Exploring Masculinity in Fraternity Greek Life Butter 5 eradicate fully.” Women in fraternity culture need to conform to hegemonic masculinity because men are the judges of what constitutes attraction and status. Kimmel follows up to say that in fraternities, “stepping in to protect women is treason, and a betrayal of brotherhood” (p. 230). Not all fraternities are equally at risk of promoting and supporting sexual assault, but in one study, sociologists Ayres Boswell and Joan Spade (1986: 234) found they could distinguish between “rape prone” and “rape free” fraternities in part by the ideologies the men held and their beliefs in rape myths. They also concluded that higher prestige fraternities promote a culture of sexual entitlement. One aspect of androcentrism that burdens men is that one’s masculinity is never secure; the goal of real manhood is unreachable. The androcentric fraternity culture makes men insecure about their gender, which leads some to perform acts of sexual dominance in order to increase their credibility. Patricia Yancey Martin and Robert A. Hummer explain in their work, Fraternities & Rape on Campus (1998), that masculinity of a narrow and stereotypical type helps create attitudes, norms, and practices that predispose fraternity men to coerce women sexually, both individually and collectively (see also Allgeirer 1986; Hood 1989; Sanday 1981, 1986). The authors claim that “women are the pawns or prey in the interfraternity rivalry game; they prove that a fraternity is successful or prestigious” (p. 426). The use of women in this way encourages fraternity men to see women as objects and sexual coercion as sport. Not only does the androcentric fraternity culture encourage sexual dominance, but it also rejects androgynous men with a broad range of attributes through the recruitment process (Martin and Hummer 1989). Lens 2: Gender Polarization Bem’s second lens of gender, gender polarization, explains that male and female differences are superimposed onto every aspect of the human experience. Gender polarization Exploring Masculinity in Fraternity Greek Life Butter 6 creates mutually exclusive scripts for men and women and defines any person who deviates from them as unnatural. Gender polarization is so ubiquitous in fraternity culture that young men become gender schematic without realizing it. One of the overarching unspoken rules in fraternities is to be silent, and men learn to keep their mouths shut because they are afraid to be the outcast (Kimmel 2008). I had expected to find in my research that the unifying emotional subtext for being a fraternity man involves never showing emotion or admitting to weakness, and my results support the idea that traditional masculinity exists in fraternity life because fraternity culture offers a standard of what men ought to be (Connell 1995). However, my results also show that in some cases fraternity men question traditional masculinity by holding members accountable and promoting a safe environment where members can express themselves however they see fit. Expectations for fraternity men include being emotionally tough, focusing on competition, avoiding vulnerability, and acting dominant. According to Kimmel (2008), men need to put aside their emotions and learn that kindness is not an option, nor is compassion. These are the rules that govern behavior in “Guyland,” the name Kimmel has given to male culture, and these rules will be used to evaluate whether any particular man measures up (Kimmel 2008). Being a fraternity member requires a collection of attitudes and values regarding what it means to be a man, and the pressure caused by gender polarization leaves young men disconnected from a wide range of emotions. I believed that fraternity members without adult supervision would turn to each other for initiation into manhood, and in 2008, research explained that, “with little guidance and no real understanding of what manhood is, they engage in behaviors and activities that are ill-conceived and irresponsibly carried out” (Kimmel 2008). The author then says that young men lie about their sexual experiences to seem more manly; they Exploring Masculinity in Fraternity Greek Life Butter 7 drink more than they know they can handle because they don’t want to seem weak; they sheepishly engage in crude talk about young women (Kimmel 2008; Canada 1998). In fraternity culture, self worth is a salient issue, and many young men have not had the training to develop a self-image that can withstand the assaults of their peers (Canada 1998). Gender plays an important role in risk-taking, and upholding the standards of a traditional masculine fraternity man has transformed into being able to hold your liquor, be sexually dominant, and to conceal emotions. According

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