Socioeconomic assortative mating in Santiago, Chile: A demonstration using stochastic matrices of mother‐child relationships applied to ABO blood groups

Abstract

The gene and phenotype frequencies for the ABO blood groups system were studied in two socioeconomically different subpopulations of Santiago, Chile. The data were taken from the maternity services and blood banks of two hospitals, one serving mainly low socioeconomic classes and the other serving middle and high socioeconomic groups. Results show a clear difference in gene and phenotype frequencies between the two subpopulations, a difference maintained in two generations (mothers and their children). These results reinforce other studies showing that socioeconomic forces have resulted in assortative mating and different genetic subpopulations in Chile.