Dr Elaine Leeder, Emerita Professor of Sociology and Emerita Dean of the School of Social Sciences, was a member of a panel of experts interviewed by Adam McCann's December 21, 2020 article, "2020's Neediest Cities", which appears on the website WalletHub.com. The article compares more than 180 U.S. cities based on 28 key indicators of economic disadvantage, such as child poverty, food insecurity, and the proportion of the population that is uninsured.
According to Dr. Leeder, the main challenges facing low-income families today include "food insecurity and eviction threats" which contribute to levels of "despair and hopelessness" not seen since the Great Depression. In addition, many of these "families do not have access to quality internet (or any technology) which sets their children behind academically." Dr. Leeder argues that "we will be seeing the consequences of all this for years to come." You can read all of Dr. Leeder's answers to the questions posed by the interviewer here.
Dr. Leeder's research focuses on the sociology of the family, family violence, social movements & social change, and social policy. She has written several books on these topics.