We have constructed a genetic linkage map of human chromosome 16 based on 46 DNA markers that detect restriction fragment length polymorphisms. Segregation data were collected on a set of multigenerational families provided by the Centre d'Etude du Polymorphisme Humain, and maps were constructed using recently developed multipoint analysis techniques. The map spans 115 centimorgans (cM) in males and 193 cM in females. Over much of the chromosome there is a significantly higher frequency ofrecombination in females than males. Near the a-globin locus on the distal part of the short arm, however, there is a signi t excess of male recombination. Twenty-seven (