Summer babies less likely to be CEOs: study

VANCOUVER - The date of birth may affect one's chance to climb up to the topmost corporate position in future career, a Canadian study shows.

The study, carried out by researchers from Sauder School of Business at University of British Columbia, is based on a sample of 375 CEOs from S&P 500, between 1992 and 2009.

Set to appear in the December issue of the journal Economics Letters, the study found that only 6.13 percent and 5.87 percent of the CEOs were born in June and July, respectively.

By comparison, people born in March and April represented 12.53 percent and 10.67 percent of the sample, it said.

Professor Maurice Levi, a co-author of the study, said their findings indicate that summer babies are less likely to be CEOs due to a "birth-date effect".

In the United States, cut-off dates for school admission fall between September and January. Students born between June and July are the youngest in their class, while those born in March and April are the oldest, taking into account that children with birthdays too close to the cut-offs often start their school behind or ahead of schedule.

"With advantages on intellectual development, older children in the same grade tend to perform better than the youngers," explained Levi. "Early success is often rewarded with leadership and learning opportunities, leading to future advantages that are magnified throughout life."

A baby wearing a crown is seen after winning a breastfeeding contest organized by Peru's Health Ministry in Lima, in this Aug 14, 2012 file photo. [Photo/Agencies]