Social status and season of birth: a study of a metropolitan area in the southeastern United States.

Abstract Periodic regression analysis was applied to data from Fulton County, Georgia, 1967–77, to test for a relationship between social status and season of birth in two population groups, whites and all other races. Results suggest that for both groups seasonal variation in births tends to increase with lower social status. Proportionately more births to lower status women, especially in the all‐other‐races group, occured during August. Due to timing of birth, these children have a young age at entry into school which has been shown to result in poor early academic performance.