Homosocial is a descriptive term which refers to the social relationships that develop between people of the same gender. It is most commonly used to describe the relationships that occur between men, but it also be applied to relationships between women. Homosocial relationship differs from a homosexual or homoerotic relationship, because it does not have a sexual or romantic element. Only friendship exists.
The term homosocial was popularized by the academics Jean Lipman-Blumen and Eve Sedgwick.