SEX-DIFFERENCES IN SOCIAL SUPPORT IN SORORITIES AND FRATERNITIES

The purpose of this investigation was to assess differences between so rority and fraternity members with regard to the social support provid ed by the ''sisters'' and ''brothers'' with whom they Live. Based on s ex differences in communication in general, and the few findings of se x differences in social support, two research questions were posed: Do members of ororities and fraternities differ in the social support th ey provide? How do the various types of social support compare with ea ch other within fraternities and within sororities? Differences found in this study corroborate results of research on sex differences in co mmunication that characterize women as using communication to connect with, support, and achieve closeness with others, and men using commun ication to accomplish some task and to assert their individuality. In general, differences were mostly confined to two of the eight types of social support studied: members of sororities, in comparison to membe rs of fraternities, reported being more satisfied with the emotional s upport they receive and perceiving greater availability of listening s upport If the goal of Fraternities and sororities is to provide their members with the full range of social support, then findings indicate members of fraternities could benefit from becoming more skillful at p roviding types of support that tend to promote closeness and connectio n (e.g., emotional support and listening support); and members of soro rities could benefit from becoming more skillful at providing types of support that tend to create distance and separation (e.g., technical challenge support and emotional challenge support).