A new Perspectives article in Nature Human Behaviour offers a conceptual and historical framework for understanding how social inequality can leave genetic traces across generations. Drawing from recent findings in genetics, demography, and the social sciences, the article explores how social structures and genetic patterns become intertwined over time.

This paper, by dr. Abdel Abdellaoui, is published in Nature Human Behaviour on the 26th of March 2025.

The paper discusses how socio-economic factors like education and income are strongly associated with demographic processes—such as migration, fertility, mortality, and partner choice—that gradually reinforce genetic differences within populations.

People in different social strata grow up in very different environments. As a result, associations between DNA and life outcomes can appear stronger than expected based on heredity alone. The authors argue that the link between genetics and outcomes such as education or income reflects not only inherited traits, but also environmental exposures like stress, pollution, and unequal access to healthcare—factors that contribute to both physical and mental health disparities.

The article situates these insights within a broader historical and ethical context. It reflects on how the goals and assumptions of genetic research have changed over time—from the early 20th-century eugenics movement, which sought to “improve” populations through selective reproduction, to current efforts aimed at understanding complex traits and inequality. The paper emphasizes that genetic differences between social groups should not be interpreted in isolation; they emerge within—and are shaped by—the dynamic social structures in which people live.

By clarifying the mechanisms that connect genetics and social inequality, the paper offers a roadmap for more nuanced and responsible interpretation of genetic data in relation to social outcomes.

Read the comic illustrated based on this paper: Are we born to succeed or are we made to succeed? | Research Communities by Springer Nature

Reference:
Abdel Abdellaoui, Hilary C. Martin, Martin Kolk, Adam Rutherford, Michael Muthukrishna, Felix C. Tropf, Melinda C. Mills, Brendan P. Zietsch, Karin J.H. Verweij, Peter M. Visscher. Socio-economic status is a social construct with heritable components and genetic consequences. Nature Human Behaviour (2025). https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-025-02150-4