Editing Homosociality (section)

==Historical uses==

Homosociality is a term sometimes used in discussions of the all-male world of [[knight]]ly life in [[medieval]] culture. It is also used for historically largely male occupations such as being a [[sailor]] (for example, historian [[Marcus Rediker]] uses the term to describe the pirate world). Homosocial relationships are not obliged to be sexual relationships; they are merely same-sex social interactions.

Predominantly homosocial arrangements include:
*[[Single-sex education|Single-sex educational institutions]]
**[[Men's colleges]] and [[Women's colleges]]
*[[Fraternities and sororities]]
*[[Madrasa|Madrassas]]
*[[Monastery|Monasteries]], [[Convent|convents]], and other cloistered religious societies
*[[Military]] (historically exclusively male, although presently both sexes are accepted in some forces)   
*[[Prison|Prisons]]
*[[Yeshiva|Yeshivot]]
*[[Harem|Harems]], [[Purdah]]
*[[Public bathing|Public baths]]
*Sports club teams, particularly geared toward single-sex membership or to one unique all-male or all-female sport 
*Exclusive male clubs or female clubs
*Historically, sailing-ships were often homosocial, manned by all-male crews of sailors, officers, merchants, etc. 

Generally, the more polarized the gender roles and restrictive the sexual code, the more homosociality one expects to find in a society.<ref>Gilbert H. Herdt, in Merl Storr ed., ''Bisexuality: A Critical Reader'' (1999) p. 152</ref>