Demography Advancement Award 2026 presented to Professor Marika Jalovaara

The Demography Advancement Award 2026 of The Finnish Demographic Society was presented to Professor Marika Jalovaara, Director of the FLUX project and Professor of Sociology, in recognition of her contributions to strengthening demographic research in Finland, bringing research-based knowledge into societal decision-making, and promoting interdisciplinary collaboration. The Demography Advancement Award is presented to work that has strengthened demographic research and enhanced its significance and capacity to contribute to society.

A key factor behind Professor Marika Jalovaara’s selection was her internationally renowned research using extensive register data, which has deepened understanding of family dynamics, childbearing and fertility, as well as their connections to social inequality. Jalovaara has brought Finnish demographic research to international prominence and has actively contributed research-based knowledge to public debate and policymaking.

In her award speech, the Chair of The Finnish Demographic Society, Adjunct Professor Riikka Shemeikka, emphasized that the phenomena studied by Jalovaara are highly significant for the future of society as a whole. For this reason, high-quality research must be accompanied by both the willingness and the ability to communicate findings beyond the research community.

“You have actively, clearly and responsibly communicated knowledge about complex demographic phenomena in public debate and in support of decision-making. This is an invaluable skill in fields where expectations for clear answers are high and where oversimplifications can easily obscure important differences,” she noted.

Finding One’s Own Path Requires Experimentation

In her acceptance speech, Jalovaara highlighted the challenges young adults face in finding their own path in life. According to her, the difficulties associated with identity formation have taken on new forms in the lives of young people. Today, the search for direction is increasingly accompanied by pressure to pursue self-realization rather than simply striving to achieve particular goals.

“According to psychologists’ observations, a growing number of young adults spend a long time considering what the right choices might be for them. Taking the first step can be difficult when there is uncertainty about whether that single step is leading in the right direction for me,” Jalovaara observed.

According to Jalovaara, young people today are increasingly seeking direction through reflection and by comparing themselves with examples seen on social media, rather than boldly experimenting with different alternatives.

She also spoke about her own career path, which progressed through trial and error before she found her true calling.

“Demography clearly became my thing, something I discovered by trying different things. Sometimes the lesson was simply ‘not this’, and there is hardly anything more educational than that. More often, I took a step in the right direction, and looking back, those steps formed a path,” she recalled.

The Finnish Demographic Society promotes demographic research and interaction among researchers in the field. The Demography Advancement Award was presented for the fourth time this year. Nominations are solicited through an open call, and the recipient is selected by the Board of The Finnish Demographic Society on the basis of the nominations received. Previous recipients of the award are Ismo Söderling, Elina Einiö and Mikko Myrskylä.