The article deals with the inequality problem based on S. Sassen’s work “Expulsions: brutality and complexity in the global economy”, in which the researcher presents her understanding of causes and essence of social exclusion processes in globalization context and there is assessment of the consequences of these processes in terms of the extent of impact on the social system. On the basis of the modern literature analysis the author considers problems of social inequality, determinates the subject field and perspective directions of the research, in terms of which S. Sassen’s work is a new and the most significant approach. The author highlights theoretical and methodological foundations of the S. Sassen’s work, focusing on research techniques to demonstrate implicit trends, which are often overlooked in sociological analysis courses. The examples, given in the article, illustrates the essence of the “expulsions” process, typical for the period of the late XX century. This is a capitalist system formation time, aimed to generate profits in all areas of human life (economic, social, legal, environmental, etc.), which is characterized by an uncontrolled nature. As a result, inequality is embodied not only in direct income inequality, but also forms a whole “excluded space” consisting of marginalized groups, those who are deprived of social benefits, those who migrate because of the large-scale redemption of land by foreign governments for production purposes, those who are detained, etc. It is important to develop statistical indicators and conceptual tools that would allow, in particular, to emphasize this part of the population, and, in general, to make an adequate representation of the real scale of social inequality and poverty.