There are great disparities between rich and poor. Generations of governments have promised to close the gap, with few results. The most socially mobile group in the last 20 years has been of mixed race, and has come to dominate the expanding professional sector. Black Dominicans remain at the bottom of the social ladder, accounting for the major portion of small farmers. The old Spanish families are still the wealthiest, retaining their grip on the valuable estates; their younger members spend weekends at Puerto Plata, or on shopping trips to Miami.
