-The first UBC sorority opened in 1928
-Instead of having a sorority village all 8 sororities are based out of this apartment building
-Each one has a chapter room
-Membership in a sorority is not required to live here but it is an all-female building
-There are many regulations in relation to the UBC fraternities
Each sorority has their own rules and regulations but there are common rules and regulations that all sororities have to follow. A lot of these regulations have to do with their proximity to the fraternities and what is allowed and not allowed. This in many ways solidifies gender roles and therefore reinforces masculinity. For example, UBC sororities has a strict policy named UA 10 which indicates that sorority women must not take any part in men’s recruitment in order to keep their single sex status for their organization. This status has its own complicated implications. Even when the single sex status is challenged it is not widely publicized. For example, Gamma Phi Beta has changed their rules so that anyone can join the sorority who identifies as female, but this does not mean Trans women would see the sorority as a safe place or a place where they didn’t have to conform to cisgender norms.
From my own experience, this reinforcement of cisgender norms and femininity were based on what you can and cannot post on social media or take part in. It usually involved provocative photos or posts involving sorority involvement in alcohol and fraternities. The reasoning for this is to maintain a professional and respected image as women but it is really solidifying masculine and feminine roles. In other other words sobriety is directly linked to being taken seriously and to be able keep their organization running which is not the case for the fraternities. Masculinity is also being shaped through the policing of femininity. Because sororities have a certain image they want to uphold, their relationship to the fraternities must be distant and close at the same time. When sorority women enter the fraternity village they are in many ways entering an unsafe and vulnerable space. In many cases it is an environment of heavy drinking which then can lead to situations where people are left vulnerable and without control over their actions. This power dynamic is present in many aspects but definitely exists in terms of how toxic masculinity is reproduced. Because sororities and fraternities are in close proximity to each other in terms of planning events together and attending each others events, there are no repercussions when someone is assaulted. There are no repercussions for the toxic masculinity that damages certain marginalized people. This is a quote written in the Ubyssey article about sexual violence in the fraternities –
“sororities have been a toxic environment for survivors and have been indirectly complicit in maintaining one with the fraternities.” They also asked whether standardized processes on disclosures and the treatment of those who disclose would be put into place, to help prevent stigmatization and “so that women are not being penalized for not attending a function due to not wanting to see her assaulter.”
This quote sums up how sororities are a part of reproducing this harmful masculinity. I will say though sororities are now trying to be more vocal about this by stating they will not participate in formal exchanges with the fraternities if they do not all take part in a presentation by the healthier masculinities program. But some fraternities only made it mandatory for their new members which in itself shows how there is still a lot to be done.
