Fraternization Fraternization is " turning people into brothers " — conducting social relations with people who are actually unrelated and / or of a different class ( especially those with whom one works ) as though they were sibling s , family members , personal friends or lovers . In many institutional contexts ( such as militaries , diplomatic corps , parliaments , prisons , law enforcement or police , schools , sports team s , and corporations ) this kind of relation transgresses legal , moral or professional norms forbidding certain categories of social contact across socially or legally defined classes . The term often therefore tends to connote impropriety , unprofessionalism or unethical behavior . For example , " fraternization with the enemy " refers to associations with members of enemy groups and suggests a serious conflict of strong , deep , and close romantic interest and attraction , if not the possibility of treason ; while " fraternization with civilians " typically suggests transgression of norms forbidding non - civilians and civilians to form close nonprofessional relationships ( e . g . , romantically ) , and " fraternization of officers with enlisted personnel " or " seniors with their juniors " ( the usual referent of ' fraternization ' in a military context ) describes associations which are implied to be irregular , unprofessional , improper or imprudent in ways that negatively affect the members and goals of the organization . A vast number of institutions worldwide implement policies forbidding forms of fraternization for many specific reasons . Fraternization may be forbidden to maintain image and morale , to protect and ensure fair and uniform treatment of subordinates , to maintain organizational integrity and the ability to achieve operational goals , and to prevent unauthorized transfers of information . Relations and activities forbidden under these anti - fraternization policies range from romantic and sexual liaisons , through gambling and ongoing business relationships , through insubordination , to excessive familiarity and disrespect of rank . Views on fraternization are mixed and may depend on the relations and classes under discussion . Organizations may relax , change , or reinforce restrictions to reflect changes in the prevailing organizational view or doctrine regarding fraternization . Within militaries . Within militaries , officers and members of enlisted ranks are typically prohibited from personally associating outside of their professional duties and orders . Excessively familiar relationships between officers of different ranks may also be considered fraternization , especially when between officers in the same chain of command . The reasons for anti - fraternization policies within modern militaries often include the maintenance of discipline and chain of command and the prevention of the spreading of military secrets to enemies , which may amount to treason or sedition under military law . ( For an example of the former , consider a fighting force in which officers are unwilling to put certain enlisted men at risk ; for an example of the latter , consider a situation in which a senior officer passes secrets to a junior officer , who allows them to be compromised by a romantic interest and consequently to end up in the hands of the enemy ) . The Christmas Truce was a notable instance of fraternization in World War I . In order to impress the German people with the Allied opinion of them , a strict non - fraternization policy was adhered to by General Dwight D . Eisenhower and the War Department . However , thanks to pressure from the U . S . State Department and individual U . S . congressmen , this policy was eventually lifted in stages . In June 1945 the prohibition against speaking with German children was made less strict . In July it became possible to speak to German adults in certain circumstances . In September the no contact policy was abandoned in Austria and Germany . In the earliest stages of the occupation U . S . soldiers were not allowed to pay maintenance for a child they admitted having fathered , since to do so was considered as " aiding the enemy " . Marriages between white U . S . soldiers and Austrian women were not permitted until January 1946 , and with German women until December 1946 . In educational settings . Many schools and universities prohibit certain relationships between teachers / lecturers and students to avoid favoritism , coercion , sexual harassment and / or sex crimes enabled by the teacher ' s position of authority . These prohibitions are controversial , however , as they may come into conflict with rules on tenure ( e . g . , because unethical conduct is suspected but has not led to a conviction ) . In the workplace . Court decisions in some U . S . states have allowed employers a limited legal right to enforce non - fraternization policies among employees ( i . e . , policies forbidding employees to maintain certain kinds of relationships with each other ) . Since the 1990s , such corporate policies have been increasingly adopted in the United States in the pursuit of objectives such as protecting professionalism and workplace productivity , promoting gender equality and women ' s rights , or avoiding and mitigating the impact of sexual harassment lawsuits . These decisions and the policies they protect have , however , been criticized on various grounds : as illegitimate constraints on individual freedom of association , as tools for companies to punish participation in labor unions , and as expressions of overzealous political correctness . Professional and college - level sports teams in the U . S . have enacted anti - fraternization policies between athletes and cheerleader s . Very few American Football teams allow casual contacts between players and cheerleaders . Reasons for this policy include interference with concentration , potential fallout for the images of teams , and the possibility of sex crime s or sexual harassment , and attendant legal liability .