Cultural Variation, Social Differences, Social
Change & Political Identities
Human Cultural Variation refers to the differences
in social behaviors that different cultures exhibit
around the world. What may be considered good
etiquette in one culture may be considered bad
etiquette in another. (globalsociology.pbworks.com).
Social differences are widely shared cultural beliefs
that define the socially significant distinctions on the
basis of which a society is structured and inequality is
organized (e.g., race, gender, occupation).
Furthermore, the primary components of cultural
variations are Religion, Ethnicity, and Nationality.
Religion can be defined as a set of practices and
behaviors that relate to a group of people's belief in a
God or a group of gods.
Cultural Variations in Religions is diverse around
the world. The popular religions in the world are
Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Taoism, and Buddhism.
Religion in the Philippines
The Philippines is an open country, connotes that the
government does not prohibit any religious activities
and practices. An individual has the right to choose his
or her own religion is granted by the Philippine
Constitution.
Ethnicity has been defined as a family's common
ancestry through which identity develops as a result of
evolved shared values and customs
(McGoldrick, Giordano, and Pearce 1996).
Ethnicity refers to a group of people, also called
ethnic group, who shared common culture, language,
history, religion, and tradition.
The people are divided into groups accordingly on
different social factors.
Examples: Filipinos, Malays, Ifugaos, and Muslims.
While race refers to a group of people who share the
same physical attributes, such as skin color, height,
and facial features. People are classified into different
races based on their physical attributes. Humans are
classified into three primary races: Caucasoid,
Mongoloid, and Negroid.
Ethnolinguistic Groups in the Philippines
There are more than 180 ethnics or ethnolinguistic
groups in the Philippines, which are based on the
language each group use. Moreover, there are other
smaller ethnolinguistic groups are the Ibanag, Ivatan,
Sambal, Subanon, Maguindanaoan, and Zambuangueño.
There are also indigenous groups in the country that may
belong to the same ethnolingguistic groups, but have a
different culture, tradition, or culture. Some of them are
the Mangyans of Mindoro, the Igorots of the Mountain
Province, and the Moros of Mindanao.
Nationality is a person’s instinctive membership to a
specific nation or country. It can be acquired by an
individual from the country where he/she was born (Jus
Soli) or an individual through his/her parents (Jus
Sanguinis). An individual is national of a particular
country by birth. Nationality is acquired through
inheritance from his or her parents. People with the same
nationality often share the same language, culture,
territory, and in some cases, ancestry. They share the
same rights and are protected by the same laws.
Citizenship is a person’s legal and political status in a
city or state, which means that an individual has been
registered with the government in some country. An
individual becomes a citizen of a country only when he
is accepted into that country’s political framework
through legal terms. People of the European Union
(maybe French, Germans, English, and others) may have
European Union citizenship, but that person’s nationality
does not change. No one will be able to change his
nationality, but one can have different citizenships.
Statelessness is an individual who does not have
nationality of any country.
Sociological differences are those that relate to the
development, structure, interaction and behaviour of
organized groups of human beings, or societies, and their
values and beliefs.
Gender is a social construct referring "to the culturally
and historically based differences in the roles, attitudes
and behaviors of men and women" as shaped by norms
and stereotypes.
Social Differences (Socio-Economic Class)
The Philippine society can be categorized into various
socioeconomic classes. During the prehistoric times, our
ancestors have developed a society where people were
assigned with different social functions. However, as
the society changes, differences in one’s function in
the society became wider and more diverse.
High-income Class, people who are earning an
average of P200,000 a month, or approximately P2.4
million annually. The ’wealthy’ class and accounts for
merely 1% of the country’s total population.
Middle-income Class, people who are earning an
average of P36,000 monthly. It consists of
professionals and small-scale entrepreneurs.
Low-income class, people who are earning less
than P10 ,000 monthly. It consists of labourer
and minimum wage earners
Social, Political, and Cultural Behavior and
Phenomena
Social behavior and phenomena are broad and
complicated sociological concepts.
These involve every event between at least two
individuals and include all knowledge and experiences
a person acquires in the entirety of his lifetime.
Social phenomena are the individual’s external and
social constructions that influence a person’s life and
development.
Food Taboo
It is the act of prohibiting the consumption of certain
food and drinks. Some food may be prohibited during
certain religious beliefs and periods (Lent, Ramadan)
at certain stages of life (pregnancy, sickness), or to
certain classes of people (priests, infants).
Istambay (Bum) A Filipino term for “standby.” This
refers to a person who has nothing to do, or who is
jobless and lazy.
Marriage It is the legal and formal union of a man
and a woman as partners in a relationship.
Cultural Behavior and Phenomena
Also known as bandwagon effect, a cultural behavior
is that event when certain
individuals behave a certain way merely because other
persons do as well.
Cultural phenomena happen when something or
someone gains widespread popularity. However, it is
noteworthy that it is not the subject that is the cultural
phenomena but rather a process of becoming famous.
Social change is the transformation of social institutions
over time. Cultural change, on the other hand, is the
transformation of culture or the way people live.
Communication is a vital human process. Through
communication, people exchange information and
thoughts. Nowadays, people can share information in
just a click. New media – social networking, texting
(text messaging), through email, and the likes – have
defied time and distance. While it makes the world as
if borderless, this form of communication may produce
individuals who lack the basic understanding of direct
and personal connection.
A transnational family is where one parent, or in some
cases parents, lives and works in another country while
the children remain in their country of origin.
While these families remain secured financially, its
members are also exposed to its setbacks. Children who
become overly unsupervised find themselves meeting up
with peer pressure, over independence, and lack of
family orientation. These may result in alcohol or drug
abuse, unwanted pregnancy, mood swings, or early
marriage.
Popularity (Fan Base) Popularity is the state of being
liked, admired, or supported by many people. Formation
of fan bases is clear manifestation of popularity. Social
Media Buzz Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are social
networking sites where many people are members and
interact with other members through information,
picture, music, and video sharing.
Political Behavior and Phenomena
In sociology, political behavior and phenomena include
events through which authority, governance, and public
opinion are put into practice. A political
behavior of a person or a group may be influenced by
their political views, ideology, and levels of political
participation. An obvious example of an act of political
behavior is the act of voting. Political phenomena are not
only limited to public office as this also include how
institutions like school, a church, or companies are ran
and governed.
Political Dynasty It is a term used in politics to refer to
a family in which several members are involved in
public governance.
Political Candidate Endorsement by a Celebrity
It is when a political candidate seeks the help of a
well-known of influential in a campaign.

Political Changes
Political change happens when the rulers of a country
lose power or when the type of governance in the
country changes. Governance is the kind of system or
ideology used to express authority in a country. It may
be a democracy, monarchy, oligarchy, and others.
Local public services are provided by the government
to people living within its jurisdiction, either directly
(through the public sector) or by financing provision
of services.
Youth Volunteerism
Volunteerism is the use or involvement of a volunteer
or free labor in community services.

Mechanisms of Changes
There are different mechanisms or tools of social and
cultural changes. Diffusion is the process through
which the cultural traits of one society are borrowed,
transmitted, and adopted by another one and
considered as its own. Examples: Migration and
Globalization. Also, Invention is the process whereby
new cultural elements are created to solve social and
cultural problems. Example: Internet, Discovery is the
process whereby we recognize or gain a better
understanding of
already existing elements present in the environment.
Example: Scientific Research