Contemporary World

Understanding the structure of

the society from the eye of a social
scientist.
Recap
• History of globalization
▫ From hunter gatherer to post modern era
▫ Social Stratification
 Its characteristic in different countries
 Its characteristic in the Philippines
Agenda
• Putting the context of stratification in.
▫ Sociological Theories
▫ Globalization in economic sense
▫ Poverty
Structures
In the case of USSR
Is it necessary for us to have someone poor
in the society?
Social Paradigms
These are fundamental assumptions that scientist can
use to view the social world. These are views that
can guide one’s thinking in understanding the world
around us.

It involves seeing things from Macro to Micro.

1. Structural Functionalism
2. Conflict Theory
3. Symbolic Interactionism
Structural Functionalism
Structural Functionalism
• This paradigm views that each part of society
functions together to contribute to the whole.
• It focuses on both Function and Structure at
the same time for the society to be whole
Davis-Moore Thesis
• It argues that society assigns greater economic
and social reward to those whose jobs are
functional.
▫ This means that merits are given based on the
difficulty and how hard the tasks is.
 Being a lawyer yields much reward in a society
because it takes years of study to achieve the title.
What it doesn’t take into account
• That sometimes the effort for the job doesn’t
match the merit they are given.
▫ Being a garbage collector, farmer, nurse as
compared towards CEO, Actors, Basketball
players
Conflict Theory
Conflict Theory
• It assumes that every society has this context of
inequality that in return produces conflict.
▫ Power
▫ Money
▫ Land
▫ Status
▫ Gender
Social Change
Symbolic Interactionism
Symbolic Interactionism
• It focuses more on the one to one interaction
between communications.
• We are surrounded by symbols that differs from
society to society
▫ This can manifest in the form of language,
clothing and many more
▫ We have Sign Vehicles as means to categorize
ourselves in the society
Ruby Payne “Hidden Rules among Social Class”
Poverty Middle Class Wealthy
Possessions People Things One of a kind
objects, legacies, etc
Money To be used/spent To be Managed To be conserved,
invested
Personality Is for the Is for acquisition Is for connections.
entertainment. and stability.
Financial, Political,
Sense of humor is Achievement is Social connection
highly valued highly valued are highly valued
Social Emphasis Social Inclusion of Emphasis is on self Emphasis is on
people he/she likes governance and self social exclusion
sufficiency
Ruby Payne “Hidden Rules among Social Class”
Poverty Middle Class Wealthy
Food Key Question: Did Key Question: Did Key Question: Was
you have enough? you like it? it presented well?
Presentation is
Quantity is Quality is important important
important
Clothing Clothing valued for Clothing valued for Clothing valued for
individual style and its quality and its artistic sense and
expression of acceptance into the expression. Designer
personality norm of middle class is important.
Time Present most Future most Tradition and
important decisions important. history is important.
made for moment Decisions made Decisions made
based on feelings against future partially on basis of
and survival ramifications tradition and
decorum
Ruby Payne “Hidden Rules among Social Class”
Poverty Middle Class Wealthy
Education Valued and revered Crucial for climbing Necessary traditions
as abstract but not success ladder and for making and
as reality making money maintaining
connections
Destiny Believes in FATE. Believes in CHOICE. Believes in
Cannot do much to Can change future EXPECTATIONS.
mitigate change with good choices Things happen with
now the possibility of
helping one another
Language Language is about Language is about Language is about
survival negotiation networking
Family Structure Tends to be Tends to be Depends on the one
Matriarchal Patriarchal who has money
Ruby Payne “Hidden Rules among Social Class”
Poverty Middle Class Wealthy
World View Sees world in terms Sees world in terms Sees world in terms
of local setting of national setting of international law
Love Love and acceptance Love and acceptance Love and acceptance
conditional, based conditional and conditional and
on whether an based largely upon related to social
individual is liked achievement standing and
connections
Driving Forces Survival, Work and Financial, Political
Relationships and Achievement and Social
Entertainment Connections
Humor About people and About Situations About Social Faux
Sex Pass
POVERTY
Poverty is a state or condition in which a person or
community lacks the financial resources to meet
the minimum standard of living.

• Relative Poverty
▫ Lack of resources to others who have more.
• Absolute Poverty
▫ Lack of resources that threatens your ability to
survive
1st World, 2nd World and 3rd World
• Looking at history, it can be traced from the
context of cold war.
▫ Western Capitalist Society are labeled as first
world
▫ Soviet Union and its allies are labeled as second
world
▫ Everyone else was grouped in the third world
First World and Third World
• Nowadays, the term first world and third world
persists as means to classify the economic
standing of the country.
• Scientist use the concept of GDP and GNI as a
basis for such classification how rich and poor a
country is.
▫ GDP – Gross Domestic Product
▫ GNI – Gross National Income
Global Stratification
Global Stratification GNI

High Income Countries 12,500$ a year

Upper Middle Income 12,499$ to 4,000$ a year

Lower Middle Income 3,999$ to 1,000$ a year

Poor Income 999$ below a year

Demographics of poverty
• Children and Women
▫ Homelessness, Dangerous and Illegal jobs and Malnutrition.
▫ 18.5 million children worldwide
▫ 150 million engage in child labor
• 70% of those who live in poverty are women
▫ Being kept from working, unequal opportunity, large family
• Women and Children in poverty are tied towards one
another
▫ Due to poor access in reproductive healthcare, big family is
the byproduct of such.
Poverty and its causes
• Lack of access in technology
• Cellphones
▫ Educational tool, financial resources
• Population doubles in low income countries
every 25 years
• Gender inequality
Summary
• Putting the context of stratification in.
▫ Sociological Theories
▫ Globalization
▫ Poverty
Questions and Feedback
What to expect next
• Political History from within the country and
across the country (Globalization – Politics)
• The interconnection of Economy and Politics
• Institutions that surrounds the society
Thank you!