High genetic share of lifetime earnings

Using 20 years of Finnish twin earnings data, authors estimate that roughly 40% of women's and slightly more than 50% of men's lifetime labour earnings variation is linked to genetic factors, with negligible shared‑family environmental contribution; the result holds after adjusting for education and measurement concerns. This is a twin‑design heritability estimate, not a direct claim about specific genes or policy‑actionable mechanisms. — If robust and generalizable, it reframes debates over the causes of economic inequality and the realistic impact of education and family interventions on lifetime earnings.