Social Stratification System in The Philippines

 

Perdio, Lejan Daniel I. ZSC III / 1:30-3:00 / IT 4F / EN 422

February 26, 2014 Prof. Maria Filipinas Loquellano 

Social Stratification System in the Philippines

First of all, social stratification system denotes the division of society into social classes and social statuses of varying ranks of superiority and inferiority. It includes institutionalized inequality in one major society. It reflects the amount of socialization, the division of labor, and the degree of rewards in the society. Social stratification systems may be closed or open. Where status is achieved and social opportunities are equalized as much as possible to bring about greater social mobility, the social stratification system is comparatively open and is called class system; where status is ascribed and inherited inequality is established, the social stratification system is relatively closed. For me, the present Philippine social stratification system has an ethnical or indigenous foundation. The Non-Christian Groups, the Christian people, Chinese, Indians, Europeans and Americans have evolved in differentiated unity to compose its social stratification system. From our History, there were distinct social classes during the pre-Spanish period like datus , maharlika, timawa, and alipin. His/her ability and wealth were the criteria to have power in leadership. leadersh ip. Social gap between people in different social classes was clearly defined. When the Spaniards came, slavery was abolished a bolished but a caste like stratification system persisted. Religious, governmental and business positions were occupied by the peninsulares, and the offspring of parents mixed racial and ethnic backgrounds, creoles and mestizos. The members of thewith native population were practically denied any chance for social nobility. But when the Americans came, the conditions were changed slightly because they reinforced the predominant two-class social stratification system composed of a small cosmopolitan upper class and a large indigenous lower class. A small and weak middle class slowly emerged, however this is more evident in the urban areas than in the rural areas. Remnants of pre-Spanish systems and outgrowths of the varied historical experiences of the Filipino, overlap with the urban stratification stratification system to make up the total Philippine social stratification system.

 

Perdio, Lejan Daniel I. ZSC III / 1:30-3:00 / IT 4F / EN 422

February 26, 2014 Prof. Maria Filipinas Loquellano 

For the Muslim territories, they have three distinguishable social classes: the hereditary aristocracy, the freemen and the slaves. These are based on the amount of property the number of slaves titles and fees received, differences in prestige, and connections in politics andowned, personal characteristics and personalities.

 And for the Bicol society, they are classified into social class statuses as big people or little people. It depends on how much land one holds, one’s education and occupation, life style, values and attitudes, community participation, and even inconsequential things. There are also social classes in industrial corporations like stockholders, executives, and laborers. Whereas, in haciendas, there are the landowners, labor contractors and laborers. The most important indicators of the overall social class stratification system of the Philippines are land ownership and family prestige. Secondary indicators are cultural-linguistic, religion, education, and occupation. Education is regarded as a main channel for mobility, its actual effectivity is sometimes offset by the patronage system. There are certain conditions that work internally and externally on the Philippine stratification system which cause it to change. These are the guided remolding of the country, the emancipation of the landless tenants, growth in private movements, the exodus of Filipino professionals to countries with opportunities for social mobility, greater autonomy given to local governments, regional development and the improved taxation system. So I therefore conclude that the Philippine social stratification system has features of the closed system. It is being subjected to the influence of land ownership, transfer and tenure, ethnic background, family ancestry, friendship ties, occupation, and international developments.