Title | Genetic and educational assortative mating among US adults. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2014 |
Authors | Domingue, BW, Fletcher, JM, Conley, DC, Boardman, JD |
Journal | Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A |
Volume | 111 |
Issue | 22 |
Pagination | 7996-8000 |
Date Published | 2014 Jun 03 |
ISSN Number | 1091-6490 |
Keywords | Databases, Genetic, Educational Status, ethnicity, Female, Genome-Wide Association Study, Genotype, Humans, Male, Marriage, Metagenomics, Phenotype, Racial Groups, Sexual Behavior, Spouses, United States |
Abstract | Understanding the social and biological mechanisms that lead to homogamy (similar individuals marrying one another) has been a long-standing issue across many fields of scientific inquiry. Using a nationally representative sample of non-Hispanic white US adults from the Health and Retirement Study and information from 1.7 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms, we compare genetic similarity among married couples to noncoupled pairs in the population. We provide evidence for genetic assortative mating in this population but the strength of this association is substantially smaller than the strength of educational assortative mating in the same sample. Furthermore, genetic similarity explains at most 10% of the assortative mating by education levels. Results are replicated using comparable data from the Framingham Heart Study. |
Notes | Times Cited: 0 |
DOI | 10.1073/pnas.1321426111 |
User Guide Notes | |
Endnote Keywords | genetic homogamy/homophily/random mating/genetics/genetics |
Endnote ID | 999999 |
Alternate Journal | Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A |
Citation Key | 8110 |
PubMed ID | 24843128 |
PubMed Central ID | PMC4050565 |
Grant List | R24HD066613 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States R21 HD078031 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States U01 AG009740 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States R21 HD071884 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States P30 AG017266 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States R21HD078031 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States R24 HD066613 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States 1R21HD071884 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States RC2 AG036495 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States P2C HD066613 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States RC2AG036495 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States RC4 AG039029 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States RC4AG039029 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States U01AG009740 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States P2C HD047873 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States |