In sociology

Homogamy is marriage between individuals who are, in some culturally important way, similar to each other. Homogamy may be based on socio-economic status, class, gender, ethnicity, or religion. It is a form of assortative mating

Assortative mating

Assortative mating , and the related concept Disassortative mating, is the phenomenon where a sexually reproducing organism chooses to mate with individuals that are similar or dissimilar to itself in some specific manner...

.

It can also refer to the socialization customs of a particular group; such that people who are similar in religion, class, gender, or culture tend to socialize with one another.

Homogamy has been suggested as a term for same-sex marriage

Same-sex marriage

Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....

 or other union, and heterogamy

Heterogamy

Heterogamy has a number of biological definitions:*In reproductive biology, heterogamy is the alternation of differently organized generations, applied to the alternation between parthenogenetic and a sexual generation...

  as a term for marriage or union between people of different sexes.

In biology

Homogamy is used in biology in two separate senses, both involving actual or potential matings. Inbreeding

Inbreeding

Inbreeding is the reproduction from the mating of two genetically related parents. Inbreeding results in increased homozygosity, which can increase the chances of offspring being affected by recessive or deleterious traits. This generally leads to a decreased fitness of a population, which is...

 can be referred to as homogamy. More often, homogamy refers to the maturation of male and female reproductive organs at the same time, which is also known as simultaneous or synchronous hermaphrodism

Hermaphrodite

In biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes.Many taxonomic groups of animals do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which both...

 and is the antonym of dichogamy

Dichogamy

Sequential hermaphroditism is a type of hermaphroditism that occurs in many fish, gastropods and plants. Here, the individual is born one sex and changes sex at some point in their life. They can change from a male to female , or from female to male...

.

External links

• Partner similarity and relationship satisfaction: development of a compatibility quotient. Glenn D. Wilson
  Glenn Wilson (psychologist)
  Glenn Daniel Wilson is a psychologist best known for his work on attitude and personality measurement, sexual attraction, deviation and dysfunction, partner compatibility, and psychology applied to performing arts.In 2001, Wilson was ranked among the 10 most frequently cited British psychologists...
  
   & Jon M. Cousins. Sexual and Relationship Therapy
  Sexual and Relationship Therapy
  Sexual and Relationship Therapy is a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal for review and debate across the spectrum of sexual and relationship dysfunctions and therapies. The journal presents original research and best practice and is a vehicle for new theory, methodology, and application...
  
  , Vol 18, No. 2, 2003.