HOMOPHOBIA AND HOMOSOCIALITY - AN ANALYSIS OF BOUNDARY MAINTENANCE

Past research on the subject of homophobia consists of theoretical generalizationl, on its origin or empirical correlations of a multitude of attitudinal and demgraphic variables, with very little synthesis of the two. The present study relates homophobia to the maintenance of powerful sex‐segregated institutions. It does so by operationalizing, for the first time, the concept of homosociality, which refers to social preference for members of one's own gender, but does not necessarily imply erotic attraction. This concept is tested for its relationship with homophobia in a survey of a large adult sample. Traditional explanations of homophobia (which center around religious and sex‐role conservatism) are similarly explored. All proposed hypotheses find support. Copyright © 1990, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved