What the researchers found is that class warfare, expressed in terms of sexuality, is alive and well. Rich girls, who have more hookups than their less well-to-do female classmates, believe their own sexual escapades are “classy.” Their poorer classmates who have the same sexual behaviors are “trashy,” or “slutty.”

That so-called “classiness” gives the more well-to-do young women license to enjoy sexual exploration without the fear of a derogatory label, explains lead researcher Elizabeth A. Armstrong, associate professor of sociology and organizational studies at the University of Michigan. …

The study found that participating in the Greek party scene signaled high-ranking campus status. And this pecking order largely fell along economic lines, with high-status women coming from upper and middle class families and lower-status women coming from middle and working class backgrounds.