Advisor(s)

Mary Ann Bodine Al-Sharif

Committee Member(s)

Ethan Swingle
Pietro Sasso

Document Type

Thesis

Date of Award

6-18-2026

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

School

School of Education

Department

Education

Abstract

Sorority life is situated in a social hierarchy, in which the hierarchical tiers are determined by sorority women’s feminine worth. The hierarchical system in sorority life originates from women’s pursuit of hegemonic femininity. This study utilized semi-structured interviews of eight sorority women to fulfill the purpose of this study, which was to investigate how the sorority tier system shapes members’ experiences in Greek life and in college. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings of this study reveal that access to top-tier chapters is limited to elite women; women choose their chapter either for deep connections or for reputation gain; women are limited in their social circle and campus opportunities depending on the tier of their chapter; women attach their identities more closely to their chapter depending on their chapter’s tier, and chapters claim false diversity as a way to exclude women who do not exemplify the hegemonic femininity necessary for top-tier membership. The experiences of the participants show evidence of the existence of a hierarchical tier system in sorority life and its impact of the college experience.

Keywords

Borderland Theoretical Approach;Fraternity and Sorority Life;Greek Life;Hierarchical Tier;Higher Education;Sorority

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