One of the most interesting articles I have found is here: [nautil.us]

It is as though the "flight or fight" switch is constantly on, which causes those in poverty to make decisions for the now and not for the future.

For those who are unfamiliar, epigenetics studies phenotypic changes that do not involve changes in genotype. Basically, you and I could share a few genes for the same trait, but only I may outwardly display the trait because my genes are switched on and yours are switched off. Environmental factors flip the switch one way or another and a fascinating discussion I had recently with a friend of a friend who works at MIT made me aware of the ease and frequency with which these switches can be activated or inactivated.
As it relates to generational poverty, I think looking at epigenetics is barking up the wrong tree. Studies have demonstrated that upward mobility is largely a myth and you're more likely than not to stay in the socioeconomic stratum to which you were born. We need to be examining the societal factors that inhibit movement. There are real barriers to advancement that someone born to a poor, single mother who dropped out of high school will face versus someone born to two, college-educated parents in suburbia. The only way epigenetics might come into play is that those are the environmental factors that flip certain positive genes off and negative genes on.

When they went on about all the answers that mapping the human genome would bring I was like, "Nope, too few variations possible". The real answer of course (I believe) lies in epigenetics. My interest is in inherited memory.

I remember hearing several years ago how it was determined that Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs) like poverty, abuse, trauma, etc. could have epigenetic effects but I don't recall having heard anything about effects on the germ line...

To me, generational poverty would have a lot to do with imprinting. I have no problem agreeing that it can turn genes on and off in the same way Darwin's finches exhibited various beak geometries season to season based on food source, often in just one generation.

I have quite the cavalier attitude when it comes to Epinegetics. I, but for the grace of god go I, but do I really? I mean, if I make it into the lab before you... It’s all about control. If we could simply take the quasi-random factor of human out of the equation, we might have something, but then what? What exactly IS science without human input?