Social Stratification Shapes Genes

Socioeconomic status is not just an environmental label: genomic studies show that traits associated with achieving or retaining SES are heritable and that stratified social systems can create selection pressures (through reproduction, mortality and mating patterns) that alter the genetic makeup of regions and cohorts. The paper synthesizes longitudinal and regional GWAS evidence and warns that these feedbacks have ethical and policy consequences. — If true, policies that change who mixes, reproduces or suffers different exposures can have multi‑generational genetic consequences, reframing debates on inequality, public health and research governance.