The Situation of Social Stratification in the 

Philippines
Posted onSeptember 2, 2016by MDE

Social Stratification is a classification whereby people rank and evaluate each other as higher
and, based on evaluations; inequality rewarded one another with wealth authority, influence, and
status. It is the hierarchical arrangement and organization of social categories that develop into a
social group together with status and their equivalent roles. As one of the results of this
discrimination is the formation of several levels within society. This number of levels within
society are can be identified by the social classes or a group of people who share a similar
position or status. This is a group of people who share generally the same rank, position, and
control and who have a sense of classification with one another. It refers to a position of families
that share the same or nearly status according to the criteria of evaluation in the system of
stratification. In the Philippines, three social classes can be seen in the community:

(1) the upper class has high personal income, inherited wealth and economic influence;

(2) the middle class are the small businessmen, teachers, merchants, traders with modest income;
and

(3) the lower class has to earn low incomes with little or no savings; some are unemployed.

As we can notice the criteria that determine a person’s social position are the color of skin,
beauty, money, and how to influence they are in the community. Light coloring is correlated with
intelligence and a light-skinned gorgeous person will be given advancement before his or her
generation. Family position and association with the patron are useful to achieve success.
Hundreds of wedding sponsors and baptisms each year are government officials, wealthy friends,
and community leaders that they took advantage of as their backer in their employment and for
some other reasons. Owning a vehicle is a clear statement of a high social level together with
owning houses and furnishings. In our economic situation today, sending one’s children to the
best schools is on the best indicators of social position and the best schools are private schools
that are quite expensive. Social Stratification affects life chances. These are the chances to
improve the lives of the lower class because the upper class has more advantages to the resources
that society has. It also affects the style of living of the people in the society. In fashion, the new
trends and clothes of popular personality are in and what they are doing was imitated by the
lower kind of person. Prestige in society is also affected by this social stratification. The
reputation of one person is given according to its status in society. The higher the position in the
society, the higher the reputation he or she can get from the lower-class below them.

We can also notice the social mobility in social stratification in society. Social mobility is the
movement of one individual or a group from one social class into another or the process of
changing one’s social class or status. This movement of one individual or group may either the
increasing or descending movement from class rank to another rank or change of a position that
does not involve any actual changes of class rank in which it was unnoticeable. Some of the
factors that affect social mobility are the level of economic expansion of one’s tally,
industrialization, and urbanization. The availability of opportunities was taken advantage of by
the lower class to have a better life. The competition, like for example the election in which they
said that it was the time wherein the poorest and the richest are equal, are also entered by the
lower class in the society to get the chance to take over to the community and become one of
those who are in the higher class. And lastly is the Education in which almost a lot of Filipinos
think that this is the key to improve their lives which is right. Education is one of the most
important factors that affect the social mobility of a person in a society. If a person properly used
his or her time to have a good or excellent education, he or she may get better job opportunities
that will rapidly increase his or her way of living or his or her social class. Through social
mobility, we may also adopt new lifestyles, we can have new friends, and we may also leave
from the former place of residents. But on the other hand, we may also get negative effects due
to social mobility such as loosening family tights and old friends, pressure, lack of self-
confidence, social separation, anxiety, varied emotional changes, and social and civilizing
maladjustments.

On the other hand, social stratification has important to society. Through this social stratification,
men all over the society scatter discrimination and unfairness so that men will exert great effort
in competing with others to move forward to the higher standard of living. They will exert effort
to be known or to be popular with the public and to have a better life to get over to others.
Knowing the stratification may help man to adapt to the social surroundings and they may also
have the development of man’s average of living. It also results in economic growth in a society
and it leads to the achievement of a pleasant and secure society.

Here in the Philippines, social stratification is very noticeable. Wherever you are and wherever
you go, social stratification is present. Sometimes, you cannot notice it but when you look at a
certain thing or situation deeply, you can see that. The influence of government officials is more
noticeable in public today. Sometimes, in a simple traffic violation, they usually involved the
name of their known politician to escape the punishment that they should face. In terms of
wealth, they usually use the money to do them a favor and to prioritize them. In education, most
of the time people don’t look at the knowledge that the person has, they usually look at the
school or university where the person came from. And in physical appearance, people having
luminous skin, tall, and attractive are given more chances and advancement. These are some
basics that what was said in the law that all citizens are equal was not true because, in a
fundamental sense, people are not equal. And these are the reasons why we people deserve and
looking for more improvement in life. We Filipinos are very conscious of the social class where
we belong. We don’t want to be inferior to others that’s why we are looking on the other way to
popular or known, to gain reputation and to be prioritized by others. We are always looking for
advancement that we can get only when we are in the higher class in society. Even though most
of the Filipino population today is in the middle class and only a few are in the highest class, we
can feel the influence of those few who are in the highest class in our everyday living. This is
how great the social stratification is and in which even in the house of God or in the churches
their influence is very noticeable. But even though this social stratification is present in our
everyday living, don’t forget that in the eye of God we are all equal and we are given equal
prioritized by Him. But don’t be stocked on what you are today. Exert an effort to have an
improvement in life.