Editing Old boy network (section)

{{For|the television series|The Old Boy Network}}
{{short description|Private school alumni social connections}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{more citations needed|date=September 2011}}
{{Original research|date=December 2018}}
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An '''old boy network''' (also known as '''old boys' network''', '''old boys' club''') is an informal system in which wealthy men with similar social or educational backgrounds help each other in business or personal matters.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Definition of Old Boy Network|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/old+boy+network|access-date=2022-01-27|website=www.merriam-webster.com|language=en}}</ref> The term originally referred to social and business connections among [[Alumnus|former pupils]] of male-only [[elite]] schools, though the term is now also used to refer to any closed system of relationships that restrict opportunities to within the group.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Palmer|first=Caroline|date=2000-06-10|title=A job, old boy? The school ties that still bind|url=http://www.theguardian.com/money/2000/jun/11/workandcareers.madeleinebunting2|access-date=2022-01-27|website=the Guardian|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lalanne |first1=Marie |last2=Seabright |first2=Paul |date=2011-10-01 |title=The Old Boy Network: Gender Differences in the Impact of Social Networks on Remuneration in Top Executive Jobs |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228293635 |journal=IDEI Working Papers |publisher=Institut d'Économie Industrielle (IDEI) |issue=689}}</ref> The term originated from much of the British upper-class having attended certain fee-charging [[Public school (United Kingdom)|public schools]] as boys, thus former pupils are "[[old boys]]". 

This can apply to the network between the graduates of a single school regardless of their gender.  It is also known as an ''old boys' society'' and is similar to an [[alumni association]]. It can also mean a network of social and business connections among the alumni of various prestigious schools. In popular language, ''old boy network'' or ''old boys' society'' has come to be used for the preservation of social elites in general; such connections within the [[Civil Service (United Kingdom)|British Civil Service]] formed a primary theme in the [[BBC]]'s satirical comedy series ''[[Yes Minister]]''. The phrase "It's not what you know, it's who you know" is associated with this tradition.