Website: http://people.uleth.ca/~susan.mcdaniel/

Research involves

Examining how global population change connects to individuals’ life course transitions.

Research relevance

This research will improve understanding of how global population shifts relate to individuals’ lives and thus lead to better policies and life choices.

How global population change affects our lives

Global population change alters our life chances and possibilities in a myriad number of ways. A pandemic in one part of the globe quickly reaches Canada, leaving some here with unexpectedly shortened lives. An economic recession in one part of the world quickly spreads, forces us to leave home in search for work, or to postpone having a child. Increased longevity and decreased fertility mean larger extended families, but smaller nuclear families.

Dr. Susan McDaniel, Canada Research Chair in Global Population and Life Course, is connecting large demographic and economic changes to the lives of individuals.

She is examining the life courses of individuals in comparison to population and life course changes across countries and over time. Following the key life transitions of individuals allows her to detect the positive and negative aspects of global population change.

McDaniel’s findings could completely change the ways in which we look at how we create and connect our lives in a globalized world.