Uncovering Educational and Health Inequalities through Socioeconomic–Genotype Interactions (IneqGen)

Children from socioeconomically advantaged families tend to achieve higher levels of education and enjoy better health. Research shows that this phenomenon is at least partially explained by differences in parenting practices shaped by parental resources, for example, in how parents support learning, guide school decisions, or promote healthy behaviours. However, this previous research focuses on observable traits, overlooking that the child’s genotype - an early, often hidden factor - can be amplified, triggered, or compensated for by the family socioeconomic environment and shapes later educational and health outcomes.The recent unprecedented availability of large-scale molecular genetic data now makes it possible to integrate genetic information with rich survey and administrative datasets. This enables IneqGen to study whether, and how, parents with different socioeconomic resources compensate for, amplify, or trigger their children’s genetic propensities, thereby sustaining or reinforcing social inequalities. IneqGen seeks to understand how (dis)advantaged parents pass on their (dis)advantages by examining whether the influence of children’s genetic propensities varies by family socioeconomic status. IneqGen is at the forefront of the emerging field of using molecular genetics data to understand social inequalities by applying causal designs and using family genetic data.This project makes three main contributions. First, the project will deliver theoretical innovation by developing the first comprehensive, interdisciplinary typology of how family socioeconomic background moderates genetic influences on education and health. Second, it will achieve causal identification by combining exogenous variation from the Norwegian oil boom with trio-based genetic designs. Third, it will uncover mechanisms, such as parental expectations, involvement, and health-related practices, through which family socioeconomic background moderates genetic propensities.