Gender Stereotypes In The Fraternity Subculture

Kaitlin M. Boyle ran a study in the pursuit of explaining why certain men gravitate towards high-risk fraternities and how being a member in this fraternity subculture enforces hostility and abuse toward women. Boyle uses a social psychological approach to compare the individual attitudes, which is the fraternity subculture and their behaviors toward women. Many rapes happen in a fraternity house, usually after a party or an athletic event. Most of the men use myths to justify the rape accusation, blaming the women in wanting to obtain revenge from the alleged attacker. Unfortunately, many of these behaviors’ and attitudes towards rape are extremely common in the fraternity subculture. Researchers have found that men who are in fraternities
hold more rape-supporting beliefs than men who are not members of a fraternity. The answer to why the rise of sexual assault has increased in colleges involving fraternities is due to new members wanting to self-verify themselves by proving they can accomplish what past fraternity ‘brothers’ have done. Any of the past accomplishments can seem heroic to new comers, even if the actions involve illegal and unmoral activities. All the behaviors, attitudes, and identities of new members are shaped by previous members. This fraternity subculture behavior puts into perspective Mead’s theory of one’s self-identity resulting in the experience of social experience and interaction. We are shaped and molded by our environment, either it being our families or friends around us. If a man wants to verify who he is, he will act in what he believes is a masculine way. If he believes that what he has self-identifies as does not compare with the way his peers view him, he will adjust his behavior, either in a positive or negative manner.