Old boy network
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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 background help each other in business or personal matters.
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 in reference to the preservation of social elites in general; such connections within the 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.
Australia
In Australia, the term "Old Boy" is used to describe a male alumnus of some prestigious state and private schools. The term "Old Girl" is similarly used for a female alumna of such schools. Both "Old Girl" and "Old Boy" are sometimes used as a reference to someone's parents.
Canada
The term is also used in Canada, where the alumni of such schools as
Finland
In Finland, the Finnish term hyvä veli -verkosto (literally dear brother network) is used to refer to the alleged informal network of men in high places whose members use their influence to pervert or circumvent official decision-making processes to the members' mutual benefit. As such, the term is pejorative.
The term derives from the salutation "Hyvä veli!", or "Dear brother!", traditionally used to open a letter to a not quite intimate friend. The implication is that since the elites of all fields are drawn from a fairly small pool of people who are mostly more or less acquainted with each other, they can and often do manage public and private affairs amongst themselves, off the record, and outside public scrutiny as they like. As the word "brother" implies, the network is usually presumed to be consisting of males, and thus the term is also sometimes used to refer to the
President
Hong Kong
The term can also refer to the networks that are set up in the more elite secondary schools, such as
India
The Doon School maintains its own old boys' society (The Doon School Old Boys' Society) for social connections and fundraising on behalf of the School.[4] Graduates of The Doon School are known as Doscos, or simply, Old Boys.
Former students of the
Former pupils of Bishop Cotton School are referred to as Old Cottonians. The Old Cottonians Association was started in 1910 when 17 Old Cottonians assembled in the Freemason's Hall in Shimla. The Old Cottonians Association is spread all over the world.[6][7]
Similarly, the Old Boys of
Aligarh Muslim University Alumni had established AMU alumni associations all over India and elsewhere.[8]
Some of the other schools to use the term are
New Zealand
In New Zealand, many schools maintain old boys/girls/students associations, but the term "old boy network" is typically used in reference to the elite public and private secondary schools such as Auckland Grammar School, King's College, Sacred Heart College, Christ's College and Scots College.
Switzerland
In Switzerland, the term can be used for the networks set up by the alumni organizations of private boarding schools such as
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the "old boy network" is seen as existing primarily among those educated at the fee-paying independent schools (
An organisation called Future First promotes the use of such networks among those educated at state schools.[10]
United States
In the United States, the "Old Boys Network" is a term more focused on the inside track with connections to powerful and ambitious individuals formed through work, professional and community service organizations, and private clubs. However, the original term of being associated with education has sometimes also been used in this context.[11]
See also
- Affirmative action
- Alumni association
- Association of Representatives of Old Pupils Societies in the UK
- Blat (favors)
- Collective narcissism
- Cronyism
- Guanxi
- In-group bias
- Jeon-gwan ye-u
- Legacy preferences
- Social capital
- White shoe brigade
References
- ^ "Definition of Old Boy Network". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ Palmer, Caroline (10 June 2000). "A job, old boy? The school ties that still bind". the Guardian. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ Lalanne, Marie; Seabright, Paul (1 October 2011). "The Old Boy Network: Gender Differences in the Impact of Social Networks on Remuneration in Top Executive Jobs".
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(help) - ^ "The Doon School". The Doon School. Archived from the original on 8 March 2009.
- ^ "Welham Old Boys Society". Welhamoldboys.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
- ^ "Old Cottonians Association". Old Cottonians Association. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
- ^ Bodh, Anand (27 February 2012). "On completing 101 years of their association, old boys of Bishop Cotton School (BCS) Shimla presented their alma mater Rs 1 crore. The cheque of Rs 1 crore was presented to Roy Christopher Robinson, Headmaster of the school. The Old Cottonians Association (OCA), the alumni committee of one of the oldest boarding schools in Asia, had organized annual lunch in Delhi to celebrate the completion of its 101st years". The Times of India. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ^ "AMU Old Boys Association Delhi". www.amuoldboysassociationdelhi.com.
- ^ Gorman, Andree. "10 of the most exclusive boarding schools for the super-rich are in one country". Business Insider.
- ^ Future First. "Future First". Future First. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
- ^ McClain, Linda C. (2019). ""'Male Chauvinism' Is Under Attack From All Sides at Present": Roberts v. United States Jaycees, Sex Discrimination, and the First Amendment". Fordham Law Review. 87: 2402. Retrieved 26 November 2019.(Quoting Brief Amicus Curiae of the National Organization for Women et al. in Support of Reversal, Roberts v. U.S. Jaycees, 468 U.S. 609 (1984) (No. 83-724), 1984 U.S. S. Ct. Briefs LEXIS 226, at p. 19).