The Forms and Functions of the State
aspects:
Socio-Cultural and Political Institutions
(Micheli, 2000, 11-18)
Family sets as the basic and the most essential
institution in the society. It is the core of the
inter- relations of the community. It is the
primary source of the values, hierarchical
status, and relational functions in the group.
“Family” -defined as the social group
characterized by common residence, economic
cooperation, and reproduction (Murdock 1941:)
Family is the basic unit of the society that
fosters the beginning of values, norms, and
belief systems.
In addition, family is described as a group of
people united by mutual agreement through
ties of marriage, blood or adoption, and mutual
relational inter-action and communication in
creating as well as maintaining a common
culture.
Kinship – is a web of social relationships that
creates an important level of the lives of the
people in the society. It affects and influences
the socio-socio-cultural cultural and political
processes and development.
Descent -is the Origin or background of a
person in terms of family or nationality.
Descent Group (Social group with same
ancestry of the people)
1. Unilineal Society - The origin of a person is
either from the mother’s or father’s line of
descent.
2. Matrilineal Descent – an individual’s origin
from his/her mother’s descent group.
3. Patrilineal Descent - a person’s origin from
his/her father’s descent group
Marriage
The essential institutional symbol of the family.
It is a cultural mechanism that ensures the
continuity of the social group.
It serves as the foundation of family and sets as
inviolable social institution. It consists of love,
economic and social security, the parent’s
desires, companionship, protection, and
common interests (Bowman
Marriage in the Philippine Family Code, it is
stated that marriage is the special contract of
permanent union between a man and a woman
entered in the accordance with law for the
establishment of conjugal and family life.
Marriage in addition, this law fosters two
Contact - applies to man and woman only, and
Status - created between parties.
Forms of Marriage
1. Monogamy - allows a man to marry only one
spouse at a time.
2. Polygamy – It is a form of more than one
marriage and can be described in two ways:
Polygyny - Marriage of one man into
two or more women at the same time.
It is commonly practiced by Muslims
and known as a status symbol for the
man.
Polyandry - Marriage of a woman to
two or more men at the same time
3. Selection of Marriage Partners
Types of Norms in Selecting of Marriage
Partners
Endogamy - dictates one should marry within
one’s group, clan or ethnic affiliation.
Exogamy - One can marry outside one’s clan or
ethnic affiliation.
Levirate Norms – A widow marries the brother
or the nearest kin of her deceased husband.
Surrogate Norm - Men should marry the sister
or nearest kin of his deceased wife
Structures of Family
1. Based on Internal Organization or
Membership
a. Nuclear Family - described as the
composition of husband and his wife and their
children in union recognized by the other
members of the society.
The two kinds of Nuclear Family is known as 1st,
Family of Orientation - the one that is born and
reared or socialized, and 2nd,
Family of Procreation -family is established
through the mutual agreement of both parties
in a marriage that consists of husband, wife and
children.
b. Extended Family – is composed of two or
more nuclear families that economically and
socially related to each other. The relationship
may be through parent to child relationship.
2. Based on Authority
a. Patriarchal Family - the authority is given to
the father or the eldest male in the family.
b. Matriarchal Family - the authority is given to
the mother or the eldest female in the family.
c. Egalitarian Family - both husband and wife
exercise an equal amount or way of authority.
Functions of Family
1. The family performs the function of biological
continuance and the preservation of the
bloodline by the socio-cultural agreement of
the family.
2. The Family gives its members social status
that enables them to carry all the essential
benefits of the family.
3. The family performs economic and social
functions in the society that allow its members
to further develop all the resources acquired by
the family.
Structural Characteristics of the Filipino Family
1. The basic unit of the Philippine society is the
nuclear family.
2. The Christian Filipino family is known as a
large group that normally a combination of both
nuclear and extended families.
3. Blood kinship serves as an important role in
the Filipino family that emphasizes strong
affiliation of the siblings most particularly in the
rural areas.
4. Family affiliation is emphasized in a form of
“compadre or compadrazgo” system that can
be elaborated in the different rituals/occasions
like baptism, confirmation and marriage.
5. Filipino Family is commonly known as
Patriarchal in authority that means the father
serves to be the leader/source of authority in
the family.
FUNCTIONS AND IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION
IN THE SOCIETY
The Education
When we think about education, the first thing
that strikes our minds is acquiring knowledge.
Education is a tool that provides awareness,
skills, strategies, and information to people. It
helps them understand their rights and duties
to their families, community, and country. It
improves vision and insight to see the world. It
builds society's capacity to tackle inequality,
crime, corruption, and many other bad
elements.
Training gives us awareness of the surrounding
environment. The experience of looking at life
grows in us. It is the most significant factor in
the nation's evolution. One cannot pursue fresh
ideas without knowledge. It means that one
cannot build the world; without ideas, there is
no innovation and without innovation, there is
no development of the country.
The Function and Importance of Education
◦ It is the key to success in the future and to
have many opportunities in life. ◦ Education
develops human personality and thoughts; it
helps an individual deal with others and
prepares one for life experiences.
◦ There are various benefits of having an
education, such as having a good career, having
a good social status, and having self-confidence.
◦ We can have plenty of chances to work in any
workplace we wish.
◦ Absence education we may not survive
humanely nor have decent professions.
◦ Having education helps us teach others about
morals, manners and ethics in our society.
◦ Education makes us role models in the society
when other
Importance of Education in our Society
In the modern developed world, education is an
important factor that plays a huge role. To be
able to succeed in this competitive world,
people need good education. In modern
society, people focus on achieving a high
standard of living and awareness to provide
better solutions to their problems.

Features of Education
Education empowers everyone. Some of the
areas
where education helps are:
1. Removing Poverty - Education helps eradicate
poverty; if a person is educated, he can get a
good job and meet his family's basic needs and
requirements.
2. Protection and Defense Against Crime - If an
individual is well educated, he will not be easily
fooled by anyone. A trained individual is less
likely to engage in domestic violence and other
social evils. In life, they enjoy good
relationships. This suggests that individuals are
less likely to be cheated or become victims of
crime.
3. Wars and Terrorism Prevention - One needs
to recognize the importance of education in our
everyday lives to lead a safe and secure life.
One needs to take an active part in various
educational activities. These types of productive
activities provide knowledge to live a better life.
4. Trade and Commerce - The nation's trade &
commerce would also prosper easily if its
people were well-educated. Education helps to
become self-dependent and to build a great
trust between them to accomplish challenging
tasks. Their quality of life is increased by
receiving an education.
5. Law and Order - Education enables the
process of the nation’s fast development. If you
have a good education, you can serve your
country well. It develops a good political
ideology.
6. Women Empowerment - Education also helps
in empowering women. The educated women
can raise voice against the injustice. This will
bring a great deal of social growth.
7. Uplifting the poorer economic elements of
society - The most critical element for
improving the world is education. Many
illiterates people suffer the hardships of
prejudice, untouchability & injustices that
prevail in society due to lack of education, but
with the promotion of a good education. This
inevitably leads to the upliftment of
economically disadvantaged parts of society if
all people are educated.
8. Communication - The link between education
and communication is evident. Healthy
education allows other individuals to interact
better. It also enhances our ability for
communication, such as voice, body language,
etc. A qualified person feels safe to challenge or
give a speech to a wide audience or may hold a
meeting or seminar. Moreover, sending emails,
writing letters, typing notes, reading magazines
& newspapers, or even using a smartphone
would never be possible without getting a basic
education.
Role of Education in Society
Education is a social institution in which society
offers essential information to its citizens,
including fundamental truths, job skills, and
values of cultural norms. One of the most
significant advantages of education is that it
enhances personal lives and makes it possible
for society to function smoothly. Poverty can be
eliminated by providing education, and every
individual can contribute to developing the
country.
◦Education Helps in the Creation of a
Better Society
◦Education act as Back Bone of a
Society
Characteristics of Different Systems of
Stratifications
SOCIAL STRATIFICATIONS - a concept used to
define the relative social status of individuals
within a given social group, category,
geographical area, or other social units. It is
derived from the Latin word "strātum" (plural;
parallel, horizontal layers) that refers to the
categorization of its people by a given society
into socio-economic rankings based on factors,
such as wealth, income, social status,
occupation and power.
Stratification is characterized as the act of
sorting information, individuals, and objects
into different groups or layers. It is a method
used in combination with other system for data
analysis.
MEANING & NATURE - Social stratification
refers to the classification of individuals by a
society into socioeconomic category rankings
based on various factors, including wealth,
income, ethnicity, education, and power.
Stratification -refers to a mechanism by which
individuals and clas ses are clas s ified in a s
tatus hierarchy that is more or less permanent.
Furthermore, it refers to the division of a
population into structures, one on top of
another.
CHARACTERISTICS OF STRATIFICATIONS
1. It is Social
Stratification is social in the sense that it
does not reflect biologically mediated
discrimination in social. It is true that
variables such as power, intellect, age,
gender also may serve as the bases
from which status is classified. But
these differences alone are not enough
to justify why some societies are
granted more power, land, and prestige
than others.
2. It is Ancient
The system for stratification is very old.
Also, in the small wandering bands,
stratification is present. Age and sex
carry the primary stratification factors.
Almost every ancient civilization gave
distinction between rich and poor,
powerful and humble, freemen and
slaves. Social philosophers have been
deeply concerned with economic,
social, and political inequalities since
the times of Plato and Kautilya.
3. It is Universal
The social stratification is universal. The
difference between rich and poor is
noticeable everywhere. Stratification is
quite present in non- literate
communities.
4. It is in Diverse Forms
In all cultures, social stratification has
never been standardized. The Aryan
society was divided into four Varnas:
Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and the
Sudras; the ancient Greek society into
freemen and slaves; and the ancient
Chinese society into mandarins, traders,
farmers and soldiers. The ancient
Roman society was stratified into two
strata: The Patricians and the Plebeians.
The general forms of stratification
found in the modern world tend to be
class and land.
5. It is Consequential
The Stratification System has its own
implications. Due to stratification, the
most important, most desirable, and
sometimes the scarcest items in human
life are distributed unequally. The
method has two types of implications:
(i) Life chances and (ii) lifestyle. Such
topics as infant mortality rates, lifespan,
physical and mental illness, marital
problems, separation, and divorce apply
to life chances. The lifestyle however,
include living modes, residential areas,
education, leisure practices, parent-
child relationships, modes of
transportation, and so on.
Elements of Social Stratifications
1. Status Differentiation It is the mechanism by
which social roles, such as father and mother,
are decided and differentiated from each other
by combining a distinctive role, a set of rights
and responsibilities.
Differentiation of status functions more
successfully when:
a) Tasks are identified clearly.
b) Power and obligation shall be separated.
c) A recruitment and training system exists.
d) There are appropriate penalties to motivate
individuals, including incentives and sanctions.
2. Ranking is defined as a position on the
achievement or status scale as a classification of
the individual.
Ranking is done on the basis of:
a. Personality traits that persons are assumed
to require if they are to learn and successfully
perform roles such as intellect, aggressiveness,
and politeness
b. The abilities and skills that are considered
essential, such as physiological, numerical or
linguistic skills, for effective role performance
c. The general characteristics of the job, such as
complexity, cleanliness, risk, etc. based on.
3. Evaluation: The method of assessment
further solidifies classification and ranking.
While the ranking procedure relies more or less
on the question, the assessment process
focuses better and worse on the question.
Assessment is both a personal and social
characteristic. That is, people give everything a
relative value, a degree of choice and a priority
of desirability. To the point that assessment is a
learned value, people tend to share a specific
set of values with a consensus that tends to
evolve within a society. The social dimension
essential for evaluation stratification would be
value consensus.
The Three Dimensions of Evaluation stratification structure is distinction, rating,
assessment and rewarding.
a. Prestige These relate to honor and include
respectful behavior.

Radcliffe-Brown (1955) in his publication “The FORMS OF SOCIAL STRATIFICATION:

British Journal of Sociology ” mentioned three
Closed Systems –
groups that were typically granted special
prestige in hunting societies: those old people, Accommodate no change to social status. It is
those with Supernatural abilities, and those described as a place where individuals can do
with special personality traits such as hunting little or nothing to alter their social status. They
ability. do not allow people to change levels and do not
facilitate social interactions between levels. The
Prestige is the goods or commodity that is in
caste systems and slavery are closed systems of
limited supply and it is, therefore, more value.
stratification in which individuals may do little
b. Preferability Those positions, i.e. status roles, or nothing to alter their social status.
which are selected by most citizens, are rated
Open systems
higher, e.g. " I'd like to be a doctor here).”
On the other hand, focus and allow layers and
c. Popularity Those common status roles that
classes to move and interact. It is based on
people know to be very prestigious are assessed
success, allowing layers and classes to move
higher, e.g. Nowadays, the students are taking a
and interact. Different systems reflect,
course for being a teacher because this
emphasize, and promote these cultural values
occupation is very popular.
and influence people's opinions. Class systems
4. Rewarding and estate systems are examples of open
systems of stratification. Hence, stratification
Differentiated, rated, and assessed statuses are
systems include the caste system, the class
assigned to differential incentives in terms of
system, slavery, and the estate system
positive things in life. In different ways, social
(Encarnacion, 2019)
units such as households, subcultures, social
classes, and professions that are socially Slavery (Free or Unfree)
classified are rewarded differently. A few of the
Slavery is a system in which people are bought
benefits are health care, education, wages, and
and sold as slaves against their will, compelled
positions of prominence.
to work, or kept in captivity or cages.
Two Types of Rewarding
Caste Systems
1. Abundant- Which rather than material, these
Caste systems are closed systems of social
are spiritual or psychic and are secured in the
stratification in which individuals inherit their
process of performing a role, such as pleasure,
status and experience little mobility.
love, and respect.
Estate Systems
2. Scarce- In this context of desirable and
limited incentives, social stratification becomes Estate systems are characterized by land
important. Many who have influence take ownership and were widespread during the
possession of these incentives in a system Middle Ages and through the 1800s in Europe
where there is an unfair distribution of and Asia
incentives.

In conclusion, it can be assumed that the social

mechanism that shapes and retains the