2026/06/10 by Herman G. van de Werfhorst · 1 voice
Social Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Psychology · #Intergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies #Genetic Associations and Epidemiology #Cognitive Abilities and Testing
paper · doi:10.1111/1468-4446.70138
The field of the sociogenomics of inequalities would benefit from discussing what its findings and ambitions mean for core theories of social stratification and mobility. Do sociologists need to reconsider their critique to structural-functionalist theory of stratification, and its neo-classical economic allies, that emphasise efficient sorting of individuals to social positions? Or do their interpretations of genetic correlates of inequality need to include reference to constructivist processes that have defined the genetic mix that has come to be rewarded in a society? I argue that, with the current sociogenomics methods, it is hard to disentangle these theories, which are however fundamentally different regarding the nature and structure of social stratification. Using simulations that distinguish context-dependent from context-independent genetic variability, it is shown that the field always needs to make untestable assumptions about the nature of genetic differences.