By the problem of inequality social scientists usually understood socialeconomic inequality. Economic theories explain the stability of inequality by connection with macro processes and a certain history of society development. Sociological theories describe inequality more broadly, including in the analysis, in addition to economic variables, the concepts of status and prestige. Modern sociological theories focus on the processes that form the more subtle mechanisms of production and reproduction of inequality. For example, this includes cognitive processes that form categorical inequality based on schematization and classification, as well as cultural processes that manifest themselves in everyday actions through evaluation, standardization and rationalization. However, in addition to clarifying these more subtle mechanisms of inequality reproduction, these theories describe an unintended element in this process. From the point of view of the theory of unintended consequences, this process can be based on social actions, social interaction and the mechanisms of reproduction of institutionalized practices. Theoretical analysis indicates that many sociological theories of inequality include an unintended element and fit into the framework of the study of unintended consequences. This makes the problem of inequality more complex, but allows us to clarify the key resources with which it is reproduced. Moreover, the process of eliminating inequality can lead to a situation of counterfinality, when the initial intention to reduce inequality leads to its increase. Such a view requires that the process of implementing reforms to reduce inequality involves an analysis of the intentions, taking into account a variety of circumstances and dimensions of inequality.