Cross-sectional study reveals sorority membership links to higher religiosity but not faith-informed character in college seniors, highlighting gendered differences in Greek life.
Fraternities and sororities often espouse character development and virtue, but their reputations for problematic behavior appear to counter these goals. We investigate membership in fraternities/sororities and measures of religiously-informed character (Horizontal Faith Maturity) and religiosity (Vertical Faith Maturity, and Christian Orthodoxy) among seniors at a Southern Christian university. Interestingly, fraternity/sorority membership is positively related to religiosity (Vertical Faith Maturity and Christian Orthodoxy) but not faith-informed character (Horizontal Faith Maturity). Furthermore, when separated by gender, only membership in a sorority is associated with religiosity, suggesting that the religious lives of members are deeply affected by the gendered nature of these organizations.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Ellis et al. (2025) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: