Those who maintain habits today do so for various reasons.  One of the primary reasons is that religious dress is a sign.  The habit is a symbol of faith in God and commitment to Christianity.  Another frequent rationale for religious garb is that it is simple dress and therefore a way to live out the vow of poverty.  A sister who wears religious garb can own just two or three changes of dress and be free of the expense that may be involved in a more extensive contemporary wardrobe.

Some communities have opted to wear street clothes, saying that the most valid sign of Christian faith is lifestyle, rather than garb.  They contend that religious dress creates an undesirable barrier between them and laity with whom they work.  Some Catholics and non-Catholics distance themselves from people in traditional religious dress.  Furthermore, those who have discontinued wearing habits often say the original reason for it was to wear the dress of the common people; therefore, street clothes are the common people's clothes today.