According to halacha (Jewish law), married Jewish women are expected to cover their hair when in the presence of men other than their husband or close family members. Such covering is common practice nowadays among Orthodox Jewish women. Different kinds of head coverings are used, among them the mitpaḥat or tichel (headscarf), shpitzel, snood, hat, beret, and sheitel (wig). The most common head coverings in the Haredi community are headscarves in the form of the tichel and snood, though some wear hats, berets or sheitels; the tichel and snood remain the historic and universally accepted rabbinical standard for observant Jewish women. The headscarves can be tied in a number of ways, depending on how casually the wearer is dressed. Covering the hair is part of the modesty-related dress standard called . Laws According to Jewish law (halacha), a woman must cover her hair after marriage. The requirement applies in the presence of any men other than her husband, son, father, grandson, grandfather, or brother, though a minority opinion allows uncovering hair within one's home even in the presence of unrelated men. The obligation to cover hair applies in public areas. In a private home, some sources recommend hair covering (even in the absence of unrelated men), but the consensus is that hair may be uncovered if no unrelated men are present. The consensus is that all or most of the hair must be covered. Some sources rule that every single hair must be covered, but many others permit a small amount of hair (each source defines the amount differently) to emerge from the head-covering. Various reasons have been suggested for this head-covering, among them: Historically, head-covering was considered a form of dignity for a woman, and to have one's head-covering removed was a source of humiliation. Married women are expected to behave with a higher level of sexual modesty than single women, due to the commitment they have made to their husbands, and covering their potentially alluring hair is one aspect of this. Head covering is a sign of a woman's married status, which (among other things) could indicate to men that she is unavailable to them. Head-covering indicates awe when standing before God, similar to the kippah for men. Nowadays, head-covering also serves a sign of identification with the religious Jewish community. Sources requires, as part of the sotah ritual, that a married woman's head be made parua (a