The social class system was based partly on the need for a stratification system that would allow for placement based on ability and merit rather than on ascriptive criteria or previous stratification systems. Oliver and Shapiro indicate that an unresolved U.S. dilemma deals with the disparity between black and white wealth. Vobejda writes that a third of the black population will continue to be poor and the employment and earning status of black men relative to white men is likely to deteriorate further. The recent economic downturn has affected Blacks the most. Another measure of dominance is social status.
Social leaders are dominant-group people with occasional exceptions.
Social-distance scales provide an assessment of the social status of a group. Respondents are asked whether they would admit members of minorities to a variety of situations. Conservative explanations are based on a view of society as a system with various needs that have to be met, so stratification and inequality are inevitable. Lenski and others such as Kerbo, differentiate the two positions on the basis of their assumptions. Functional theorists stress the role of values and norms in holding society together.