Nature/Nuture
Genes, Gender Inequality, and Educational Attainment Show all authors Pamela Herd , Jeremy Freese , Kamil Sicinski , ... First Published November 22, 2019 Research Article https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122419886550 Article information Abstract Women’s opportunities have been profoundly altered over the past century by reductions in the social and structural constraints that limit women’s educational attainment. Do social constraints manifest as a suppressing influence on genetic indicators of potential, and if so, did equalizing opportunity mean equalizing the role of genetics? We address this with three cohort studies: the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS; birth years 1939 to 1940), the Health and Retirement Study, and the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health; birth years 1975 to 1982). These studies include a “polygenic score” for educational attainment, providing a