G.

Social and Political

Stratification
Objective:
• Examine stratification from the functionalist and conflict perspective.
Activity #:
• If you were doing a study of social differences in your community, how would you
measure people’s social class?
• In explaining poverty (sociological debate) who is to blame? The “victim” or the
“system?”
• Draw a profile of the Filipino elite. Use the contemporary situations as your basis.
• In not more than 2 paragraphs, make a short biographical sketch of the urban
slum dweller.

Processing:
What is the current distribution of wealth in the Philippines?
How many people live in wealth or poverty? Why?

Application:
What can we do to lessen the number of marginalized group in our society?
Social stratification
• a form of inequality in which categories of people are systematically
ranked in a hierarchy on the basis of their access to scarce but valued
resources
Different Views for Social Stratification:
Social Structure – status, social roles into ranked orders
Social Problem – discontentment and social justice
 Max Weber - Three-component theory of stratification:

• Class: A person's economic position in a society.

• Status: A person's prestige, social honor, or popularity in a
society.
• Power: A person's ability to get their way despite the
resistance of others.
Social Mobility
- is the movement of an individual or group from one social
class to another. Process of changing one’s social class or
status.
• Vertical
• Horizontal
• Lateral
• Intra-generational("within" a generation) is defined as
change in social status over a single life-time.
• Inter-generational mobility ("across" generations) is
defined as changes in social status that occur from the
parents' to the children's generation.
Factors Affecting Social Mobility
Biological, environmental, and cultural factors affect social
mobility:
- sex and gender -intellectual factors, mental ability
- agents of socialization -creativity
- fortune or sheer luck - physical appearance
- education & skills - status of parents
- high or low fertility- types of social stratification
- geographical mobility - changing labor market
- government interventions
- non-intellectual factors such as ambition, drive, other traits,
sense of humor, industry, enthusiasm, perseverance and
“connections”
Social Inequality
• a condition in which members of society have differing amounts of
wealth, prestige, or power.
• Sociologists refer social inequality to STRATIFICATION.
General system of stratification:
• slavery
• castes
• Estates
• Social classes
Gender Inequality
• Philippines has an extensive — and
impressive — institutional framework to
promote gender equality.
• The Philippines has ratified key
international agreements, including the
Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
• The constitution affirms women’s equality
with men
• The Magna Carta of Women requires the
state to uphold women’s human rights.
• The Philippines Commission on Women
(PCW) promotes gender equality through
a comprehensive strategy of gender
mainstreaming and good governance.
Is gender inequality really so low in the
Philippines?
21 March 2015 Author: Fiona
MacPhail, UNBC (East Asia Forum)
• The Philippines ranked ninth out of 142
countries in terms of gender equality,
according to the recent World Economic
Forum (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report
2014. As one of the top 10 countries, the
Philippines keeps company with high-
income Nordic countries, such as Finland,
Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Perhaps
surprisingly, several low-income countries
such as Nicaragua and Rwanda also made
the top 10.
Ethnic Minorities
• About 60 ethnic minority groups in the Philippines exist and still practice
their traditional customs.
• Presidential decree No. 1414. Further defining the powers, functions and
duties of the of the office of the presidential assistant on national
minorities. (Pres. Marcos)
• December 1983, a National Congress on Human Rights and Ancestral Land
was held in Quezon city, at the University of the Philippines (UP).
• Organizations and support groups have also been organized throughout the
nation.
(Mindanao Lumad, the Cordillera Consultative Committee, Progressive Igorot
Students Association, the Coordinating Committee for Minority Concerns,
the Episcopal Commission on Tribal Filipinos and the Ugnayang Pang Agham
Tao)
Persons with Disabilities (PWD)
• Republic Act 7277An Act Providing for the Rehabilitation, self-
development and self reliance of disabled person and their integration into
the mainstream of the society. (1991)
- Access to Public Transport Facilities
- equal opportunity (no disable)
- sheltered employment
- Vocational rehabilitation
- access to quality education
- Free Postal Charges for the Disabled
-Barrier-Free Environment
Global Inequality
2015 Legatum prosperity index rating
 TYPE PERIOD CHARACTERISTICS
Industrialized “First 18th Century - present Based on industrial production &
World” generally free enterprise
Majority of the population lives in
towns & cities ; a few lives in rural
areas & engage in agricultural
pursuits
Major class inequalities though less
pronounced than in traditional states
Distinct political communities or
nation-states including the nations of
the West, Japan, Australia and New
Zealand
 TYPE PERIOD CHARACTERISTICS
Communist “Second Early 20th century Based on industry, but the economic system is
World” societies (following the Russian centrally planned
Revolution 1917) to early Minority of the ; but population works in
1990s
agriculture; most live in towns and cities
Major class inequalities persist
Distinct political communities of nation-states
until 1989, included the USSR and Eastern
Europe but social & political changes began to
transform their planned economies in free-
enterprise economic system
 TYPE PERIOD CHARACTERISTICS
Developing “Third 18th century (mostly as Based on agricultural production, some of which
World” societies colonized areas) to the is sold in world markets; some have free enterprise
present systems others are centrally planned.
Majority of the population works in agriculture ,
using traditional method of production
Most people lived in poverty
Distinct political communities or nation –states
including China, India, and most African * South
American nations