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This section presents an overview of racism and inequality as social problems in contemporary U.S. society. Racism involves beliefs that abilities such as intelligence are predetermined by one's racial group membership and that people of particular racial groups are inferior. A related form of racism involves overt or covert pressures to assimilate people of color to conform to the practices of the dominant group. In other words, acceptance into U.S. society is conditional on those in the minority groups becoming more like those in the majority group.

This section discusses the issue of domestic violence in the U.S. within a social problem framework. According to Berger and Luckmann, wife abuse is most often attributed to expectations of males and females, manifested along gendered lines. According to this perspective, social constructs reinforce the notion that males are expected to maintain control over the lives of women. As a result, many males exercise control over women, both physically and psychologically.