Lyceum of Subic Bay, Inc.

Understanding Culture, Society and Politics

B.1 Cite a concrete example of social stratification in the country at present what are the factors
that lead to such?

Social stratification refers to a society's categorization of its people into rankings based on
factors like EDUCATION it affects when people is in wealth, have high or low income,
family background, and power.

Evidence to expand the social stratification in terms of Education in the philippines that
present today:
● In state universities the percentage of the students are mostly from a wealthy family,
because those students from lower class or middle class who wants to enter the
institution can’t pass the examination or can’t meet the cut off grades since they
didn’t study from a prestigious schools back in high school. This is one of the
representation that social stratification is very apparent in the education students can
attain.
● A school that has a majority of students that are in a middle and upper-class status,
the school is going to have more funding which means they will have more advanced
classes and technology. A school with lower-class students, will not have equal
funding and will not have equal opportunities when it comes to more advanced
classes and newer technology. Schools will teach the working-class and lower-class
students to accept their class and they will be encouraged to have lower ambitions
than students of higher class. Most of them lack basic amenities including
classrooms, whiteboards, drinking water, restrooms, and sanitary facilities. The
atmosphere at school is so oppressive that pupils avoid going to class, which
contributes to the high dropout rate.

C. 1. Describe the condition of poor families in the country. What challenges do poor Filipino
families face as a result of their situation?

● Poor families in our country, the Philippines, face hunger and malnutrition,
particularly among children, as well as limited access to education and other basic
services and social discrimination from their fellow Filipinos. Because they do not
have the opportunity to obtain a proper education, they do not have the opportunity
to obtain a well-paying job to support their family's needs. This is primarily why they
are forced to commit robbery or other crimes in order to meet their basic
needs.There are numerous challenges that poor families face; most notably, where
they can obtain funds to purchase necessities such as food. Not only in terms of
money, but also in terms of family problems; due to the numerous problems they
face, most poor families end up in family conflict, with their parents possibly
divorcing. Children who grow up in poverty are less likely to graduate; instead, they
will work at a young age, despite the fact that we all know that child labor is illegal.

Causes of Poverty
The main causes of poverty in the country include the following:

➢ low to moderate economic growth for the past 40 years;

➢ low growth elasticity of poverty reduction;
➢ weakness in employment generation and the quality of jobs generated;
➢ failure to fully develop the agriculture sector;
➢ high inflation during crisis periods;
➢ high levels of population growth;
➢ high and persistent levels of inequality (incomes and assets), which dampen
the positive impacts of economic expansion;
➢ and recurrent shocks and exposure to risks such as economic crisis, conflicts,
natural disasters,and "environmental poverty."

With poverty plaguing the country and employment opportunities being scarce, many
Filipinos are unable to afford housing, which puts them in danger of turning to the
streets for accommodation. In 2012, extreme poverty within the Philippines affected
19.2 percent of the population or around 18.4 million people.
This poverty line survived on $1.25 a day, making it extremely difficult to rise out of
poverty and find affordable housing for Filipinos and their families. Poverty, lack of
education, drug or substance abuse, vice, crime and unemployment are among the
many problems that continue to batter them. Likewis:e, recent issues on the rising
number of street children in urban centers, child abuse, forced-labor and pedophilia
are quite alarming, aggravating the plight of the youth. With conditions so
troublesome, people often resort to crime and thievery to survive. Research found
that one of the overwhelming reasons to steal is due to difficulties caused by poverty.
Without proper employment, people turn to stealing, especially since family sizes are
rather large, and there are a lot of people to provide for.

There are too many people and not enough resources. And with such conditions,
people become desperate and practice drastic measures to provide for themselves
and their families.

The Republic of the Philippines has made progress in reducing poverty and is still
doing so. Still, there is a need for greater development due to overcrowding in
metropolitan areas and a lack of economic prospects for rural residents. There is
hope for the Philippines and its people since governmental authorities and numerous
groups are acknowledging these challenges.