Understanding Social Stratification

• Social stratification categorizes people based on wealth, power, and prestige, ranking them hierarchically and leading to social inequality.
• It is visualized as a pyramid with layers.

Principles of Social Stratification

• Exists in every society but varies in system and effects.
• Ex: Upper/middle class in the Philippines may be lower class in affluent countries.
• Is a trait of society, not individual differences.
• One’s position is based on opportunities received, not just individual abilities.
• Carries over from generation to generation, especially in rigid systems.
• Involves not just inequality, but beliefs enforced collectively through cultural norms like religion.

Social Mobility

• This is the act of moving from one social position to another.
• Makes social class inequality seem reasonable and justifiable.

Horizontal Mobility

• Movement within a social class level.
• Ex: A principal becoming an Education Supervisor, with little change in salary or prestige.

Vertical Mobility

• Movement between social class levels, upward or downward.
• Ex: Rag-to-riches stories of business tycoons.

Classification of Stratification Systems; Open Systems

• Flexible with mobility, both upward and downward
• Achieved Status

Classification of Stratification Systems; Closed Systems

• Rigid and allows little mobility
• Ascribed Status

Major Systems of Social Stratification; Slavery

• A form where people own other people.
• Based on debt, punishment, or defeat in battle
• Slaves typically owned no property.

Major Systems of Social Stratification; Caste System

• Status determined by birth and is lifelong, with no social mobility.
• Ex: India's Thousand-Year-Old Caste System
• Ascribed status is the basis.
• Societies try to maintain boundaries through endogamy and rules about ritual pollution.

Major Systems of Social Stratification; Class System

• Primarily based on money or material possessions.
• Membership depends on wealth, economic occupation, and power.
• Allows social mobility based on achieved status.
• Initial position is based on parents' status (ascribed).

Sociological Perspectives on Social Stratification; Structural-Functionalist

• Stratification exists because it is functional to society.
• Davis-Moore Thesis: Stratification motivates people to take on difficult but important jobs.

Sociological Perspectives on Social Stratification; Conflict Perspective

• Conflict, not function, is the basis of stratification, benefitting the bourgeoisies who control resources and oppress others.

Sociological Perspectives on Social Stratification; Symbolic-Interactionist

• Explains stratification in the micro-level.
• Interaction often occurs between people of the same social class due to shared interests.
• "Conspicuous Consumption" (Veblen): Buying certain products as a social statement about status.

Social Institutions

• These are groups with established roles, functions, and norms working together to fulfill specific societal needs.

Main Social Institutions

• These are Family, Education, Religion, Economy, and Government.

Family

• Basic social institution; primary group in society.
• Varies across cultures.
• Murdock (1949) defines family by common residence, economic cooperation, and reproduction.

Family forms based on the number of people

• These are Nuclear/Traditional, Single Parent, Extended, and Childless.

Nuclear/Traditional Family

• Father, mother, and offspring.
• Father-breadwinner, mother-homemaker is typical.

Single Parent Family

• One parent raises the child.
• Support may come from relatives and caregivers.

Extended Family

• Includes the nuclear family plus the parents of either or both spouses, common in Asia.

Childless Family

• A couple without children.

Authority and Power Structure of the Family

• Varies by society.

Patriarchal Family

• Decision-making power lies with the man
• Eldest son may take leadership in the man's absence.

Matriarchal Family

• Female-headed or “matrifocal“family; authority is vested in the woman.

Egalitarian Family

• Power and decision-making authority are equally distributed between the husband and wife.

Marriage

• An important part of the family is marriage.

Traditional Definition

• A union between a man and a woman where children are legitimate offspring of both.

Current Definition

• Assertion that the idea of marriage has changed.

Family Code of the Philippines (EO 209 s. July 6, 1987)

• Marriage is a special contract of permanent union between a man and a woman entered into in accordance with law for conjugal and family life.

Types of Marriage; Monogamy

• A form of marriage between one man and one woman.

Types of Marriage; Polygamy

• A form of marriage where one person has more than one mate.

Polygamy Sub-Divisions; Polygyny

• A man has more than one wife.

Polygamy Sub-Divisions; Polyandry

• A woman has more than one husband.

Education

• Processes of acquiring knowledge, skills, & values allowing people to participate in society.
• It occurs in many forms of environments

Formal Education

• An institutional activity with a chronologically graded structure; uniform, subject-oriented, full time.

Elementary Education

• It is the first part of educational system concerned with basic education.

Secondary Education

• Continues basic education and adds employable skills.

Tertiary Education

• Most institutions are typically regulated by the Commission on Higher Education.

Vocational Education

• Accredited private institutions offer technical skills.

Informal Education

• Life-long process of self-learning

Nonformal Education

• Flexible and diversified in content and method, focusing on learner participation

Religion

• Defined by Durkheim as a unified set of beliefs and practices related to sacred things that unite believers into a moral community (Church).

Elements of Religion

• Belief system, moral guidelines, rituals, community of believers, tangible objects, etc.

Animism

• Belief that a soul or spirit exists in every object, even inanimate ones.

Theism

• Any belief system incorporating the existence of a deity.

Monotheism

• Recognizes only one deity.

Deism

• At least one deity created the world but doesn't alter the original plan.

Polytheism

• Includes faith traditions involving more than one deity. Includes types of hard and soft.

Politics and State

• Politics includes activities related to government, public affairs, compromise, consensus, and power.
• Involves the structure, function, and practice of government.
• Concerns the management of public interest (laws, welfare, etc.).
• Attempts to resolve conflict through discussion, compromise, and consensus.
• Involves the use of authority and influence for various purposes.

Political Organization

• Evolve through time as societies evolve.

Bands

• Least complex; no rigid governance or structured leadership.

Tribes

• Kinship marked by loyalty per family; less mobile than bands.

Chiefdoms

• Fulltime leadership roles, everyone ranked relative to the chief.

States

• Appeared in societies with large-scale intensive agriculture.

State

• Political/legal group with a community occupying territory, having its own government, and enjoying freedom.

Elements of a State

• These are People, Territory, Government, and Sovereignty.

Government officials

• They functions to ensure all affairs are managed.

People

• A population with enough members to perform the state's functions and the capacity to procreate.

Sovereignty

• Internal (domestic) and external (international).

Divine Origin Theory

• State originates from God's will, with appointed leaders.

Force Theory

• State emerges from warfare and conquest, where conquerors rule.

Evolution Theory

• State develops from families grouping into bigger communities.

Social Contract Theory

• State is created through an agreement where people lessen freedoms in exchange for protection.

Inherent Powers of State

• Police Power: promotes public welfare.
• Eminent Domain: power of taking property for public use.
• Taxation: power to impose taxes for public spending.

Authority

• Powers include promoting public welfare, payment of compensation, and used public expenditure.
• Government is the legal component which enforces this.

Traditional Authority

• Based on acceptance of traditions.

Rational Authority

• Based on acceptance of laws.

Charismatic Authority

• Based on exceptional leader.

Coercive Authority

• Based on the use of force.

Authority powers

• Can only be exercised by the Government and is justified by two philosophies which are Salus populi suprema lex and Sic utere ut alienum non laedas.

Government

• A group of people who rule or run the administration.

Governance

• It is the exercise of power/authority by a political leader

Functions of Government

• Constituent functions and ministrant functions.

Ministrant Functions

• Undertaken to advance the general interests of society.

Constituent Functions

• Includes all compulsory very bounds, from keeping of order, providing protection, and fixing of legal relations.

The Constitution

• Fundamental organic law containing principles of government.

Origin of the Preamble

• From "preambulare," meaning "to walk before."

Branches of Government

• Executive, Legislative, and Judicial.

Powers of the President and Vice President

• Includes control of executive branches, supervisions, appointments, military, borrowing, budget, and diplomatic powers.

Three Branches of Government: Executive

• Carries out enacted laws; composed of president, vice president, and cabinet.

Three Branches of Government: Legislative

• Lawmaking body with constitutional authority to pass, repeal, or change laws.
• In the philippines it is bicameral (senate and house)

Three Branches of Government: Judicial

• Interprets the laws.
• Hierarchy is a universal feature of judicial institutions.

Levels of Judicial Courts

• Multiple where some courts are explicitly subordinate to the others.

Senate

• 24 Senators
• Elected at is large qualified.

House of Representatives

• 250 Seats, divided into districts.

Congress power

• Includes Legislative, Impeachment, of inquiry, and appropriation.

Senate requirements

• 35 Years old, registered voted, able to read/write, nature-born, resident of Philippines.

House of Representatives requirements

• 25 Years old, registered voted, able to read/write, nature-born, resident of Philippines.

The Judiciary

• Hierarchical composed of municipal, regional, and Supreme courts.

Supreme Court

• The highest court in the Philippines.

Regional Trial Courts

• Resolve appeals over all cases decided by Metropolitan Trial Courts

Jurisdiction explained

• Defined as the power of the courts to rule on and decide cases

Aristotle's Forms of Government

• Stressed that forms of Government have two variations, positive and negative.

Monarchy

• Government with a single ruler for the benefit of people.

Tyranny

• A ruler in a government who rules for his own beliefs and ego, he is the opposite of a Monarchy..

Aristocracy

• Government with power in the best of the community, the best qualified to rule.

Oligarchy

• The wealth and social few believe wealth should be most important, and they use the Government for economic things

Democracy

• Power of the people

Unitary Government

• Control of national and local.

Federal Government

• Power is divided among two sets of organs.

Democratic Government

• Government de jure or de facto.

Unitary - governmental powers are concentrated.

• only minimal power is granted on the local governments.

Federal

• Government with powers shared.

Basic Levels of Government

• national and local government.

Authoritarianism

• A form of government that limits freedoms.

Totalitarianism

• A more extreme form that controls personal freedoms.