How Normative Institutional Arrangements Structure Black and White Fraternity Men’s Approaches Toward Women

Social scientists implicate high-status men as sexually objectifying women. Yet, few have investigated these men’s perceptions and accounts of their own experiences. Racial variation in gender relations in college has also received little scholarly attention. Analyzing 30 in-depth, individual interviews and surveys and two focus group interviews from Black and White men at a large university, we find racial differences in approaches toward women. More specifically, Black men exhibit more romantic approaches, whereas White men exhibit more sexual approaches. However, these differences are not solely related to race. Instead, ‘‘normative institutional arrangements’’ (e.g., community size and living arrangements) structure these approaches. We discuss the broader theoretical mechanisms regarding masculine performances, gender attitudes and behaviors, and race. In doing so, this study highlights the importance of ‘‘normative institutional arrangements’’ for understanding how the performances of masculinities are legitimized across racialand status-group categories of men.