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Chapter 9: Social and Political
Stratification
Social Stratification
refers to a society’s categorization
of its people into rankings of
socioeconomic tiers based on
factors like wealth, income, race,
education, and power.
Political Stratification
refers to unequal distribution of
political rewards and inequalities
in access to political offices.
Pre-Spanish Colonization
Social Class in the Country before
Spanish colonization
Maharlika Class-the family of the
Datu, Pantas, and other high-
ranking officials.
Timawa-second class
They were traders, artisan, soldiers
of the datu.
Aliping Namamahay-
Nakatataaas ang aliping
namamahay sa aliping
saguiguilid. (The Aliping
namamahay is higher than the
other slave)
1. She has the right to choose her
partner.
2. Not for sale.
3. You can also live in your own
home.
4. Can own property, except for
the land on which his house is
located.
5. Paid for his service.
Aliping Saguiguilid- captives of
war and they are the Lowest class
in the society.
1. Not free
2. No home.
3. no property
4. Can be sold by his employer
5. Lives in his employer's home.
6. Serves for free.
7. Cannot marry without her
employer's permission.
Two Approaches to the Study of
Stratification
1. Conflict Theory- state of
perpetual conflict because
of competition for limed
resources. It holds that social
order is maintained by
domination and power, rather
than consensus and
conformity.
Karl Marx
According to him in there are 2
major social groups. 1. The ruling
class develops their power from
owning and controlling the means
of production while exploiting and
oppressing the 2. subject class.
Max Weber
According to him Social classes
emerged because of market
economy where individuals
compete to gain.
4 Main Epochs
(Unit of Time)
a. Primitive Communism-
classless society
b. Ancient society-master and
slaves
c. Feudal society-lords and serfs
d. Capitalists society – capitalist
and wage laborers
2. Functionalist Theory-society
is a system of interconnected
parts that work together in
harmony to maintain a state of
balance and social equilibrium
for the whole.
According to functionalism,
society is a system of
interconnected parts that work
together in harmony to maintain a
state of balance and social
equilibrium for the whole
Power
Latin word Potere which means
“to be” able
Croteau and Hoynes (2013)
A fundamental sociological
concept that affects every level of
society and in fluences our daily
lives in countless ways.
Max Weber
The ability to bring about intended
outcome, even when opposed by
others
Purpose of Power
1. Economic Power – 1. Consumption Property-
determines who will receive
important resource and how it
will be used.
2. Political Power- set of rules
and condition that others are
expected to live with them, and
those without power are
expected to follow the rules.
3. Cultural Power- this is one to
shape children’s
understanding and perception
towards society, and
Influencing people through
stories to read, the ideas they
follow and the perspective is
one way to exercise cultural
power in society,
Prestige
special advantage or benefit that
not everyone enjoys.
Croteau, et.al (2013)
Heterosexual need not to concern
with their sexual orientation, since
the society’s norms, laws, and
practices are designed for them.
These are the privilege that gays
and lesbians often do not enjoy
because they are aware of the
discrimination they might
experience from the society.
Wealth
According to Oxford Dictionary, is
an abundance of valuable
possessions or money.
Kinds of Property
Property that for personal use-
such as clothes, cars, family
homes etc.
2. Productive Property- make
money. It is capital and
includes factories, farms,
stocks and shares.

Private Productive
Uneraned Income
Property
Wealth Source of Power
Souce of Social and
Prestige Political
Stratification
System of Stratification
1. Slavery- life threatening form
of legalized social inequality.
Enslaves individuals are
owned or regarded as property
by other people.
2. Estate System(feudalism)- It
requires peasants to work in
the land (fief) leased to them
by the nobles in exchange for
military protection against
other lords.
3. Caste System-
Sanskrit word for caste is Varna
which means Color
Schaefer (2008)
Hereditary system or rank usually
religiously dictated, that tends to
be fixed and immobile.
4. Class System- social rank
based on economic position
whose achieved characteristics
can influence social mobility.
Inequality in terms of unequal
distribution of wealth and power.
Social Class- are de facto groups
(not legally defined or sanctioned)
they are relatively open not closed.
Obgurn and Nimkoff
Social class as an aggregate of
persons having essentially the
same social status in a given
society.
Karl Marx
Class tin terms of the extent to
which an individual or social group
has control over the means of
production
Social Mobility
Shift movement of individuals or
group in social position.
According to Pitirim Sorokin
1. A change in occupation that
involves a consequent change
in status
2. A promotion within the same
occupational group
3. The accumulation of seniority
within a given occupation.
4. A change in occupation form
one generation from one
generation to another.
Types of Social Mobility
1. Vertical Mobility- movement
up or down social strata. It
depends both on knowledge
and access to resources such as
educational degree, business
grants, etc.
Example: Manny Pacquiao- from
a simple individual, an unpopular
to multimillionaire, politician and
one of the most important figures
in sport.
2. Horizontal Mobility- The
change if status without a
corresponding shift within the
social hierarchy.
Example: An individual may
realize that he/she is no longer
happy with teaching so he/she shift
to another profession which is not
far from teaching- becoming a
social worker.
3. Inter-Generational Social
Mobility- the status of family
members from one generation
to the next. Inequality is
clearly built in the society thus
people’s life chances are being
determined at the moment of
birth.
Example: a farmer’s son
becoming a soldier
4. Intra-Generational Social
Mobility- the advancement in
one’s social level during the
course of one’s lifetime. Social
status occurs within a person’s
adult career.
Example: Person working as a
food clerk in a fast-food becomes a
manager after a promotion.
5. Structural Mobility- A kind
of vertical mobility, which is
carried by changes in the
hierarchy and this changes
takes place because of the
structural modification and not
because of individual attempts.
Example: the migration of Asian
in US. This caused the whites to
lose their job since Asians agrees
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to a low salary, and most of the
companies hire them for labor.
Social Inequality
Defined as the existence of
unequal opportunities and rewards
for different social position or
statuses within a group or society
Gender Inequality
Defined as the biological
distinction between female and
male while gender is the socially
constructed cultural expectation
with women and men.
‘Culture teaches us how to become
a man and a woman.’
Gender stratification
A systematic and unequal
distribution of power and
resources in society between
women and men. Discrimination
among women.
Feminist Theory
Oppression of women within a
patriarchal system is part of social
process.
Patriarchy- is a social system
dominated by men, and most of the
families and societies are ruled by
men.
Why is patriarchy so Universal?
According to Joan Huber (2007)
As Stated by Croteau (2013), male
dominance was because of sex
difference, while women’s role
like carrying, bearing, and
breastfeeding children had a great
impact to women’s activity.

This limitation led men to control
agriculture and raise animal for
food, thus men had the access to
control the newly developed food
surplus.
Physical dominance led to
patriarchal societies all over the
world.
Sex segregation of occupation
The pay gap between men and
women vary from one society to
another. Inequality occurs
differently during the primitive to
industrial period and from US to
Great Britain to Asia.
Ethnic minorities and Issues on
Inequalities
Ethnicity- shared cultural
heritage, often deriving from a
common ancestry and homeland.
Culture Heritage include
common language, tradition,
customs, symbols, and distinctive
food and music.
Race- people widely perceived as
sharing socially significant
physical characteristics such as
skin color
Categories of Race
1. American Indian or Alaska
Native- person having origins
in any of the original peoples
of North and South America.
who maintains tribal affiliation
or community attachment
2. Asian- origins in any of the
original peoples of the Far
East, Southeast Asia, or the
Indian subcontinent
3. Black or African American-
origins in any of the black
racial groups of Africa. Terms
such as “Haitian”, “Negro”, or
“Black or African American”
4. Native Hawaii or Other
Pacific Islander- A person
having origins in any of the
original peoples of Hawaii,
Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific
Islands
5. White- having origins in any
of the original peoples of
Europe, The Middle East, or
North Africa
Prejudice- “pre-judge”, based in
inadequate information and often
this judgement is based on
stereotypes
Minority group- people who
suffer disadvantages and have less
power because of physical or
cultural characteristics.
Majority group- people who
enjoys privileges and have more
access to power because of
identifiable physical or cultural
characteristics.
Inequalities among Person with
Disability
Philippine Republic Act 7277
“An act providing for the
Rehabilitation, Self-Development
and Self-Reliance of Disabled
Person and their integration”
Defines as person as those
suffering from restriction of
different abilities, as result of a
mental, physical, or sensory
impairment, to perform an activity
in the manner or within the range
considered normal for human
being.
According to R.A 7277, the
Filipino society recognized the
role of these disabled person in the
economic and political success in
the society.
States and Non-States Actors in
the Global Community
Non-State Actors (NSA)
-do not possess official or
government authorities and powers
1. (NGOs) Non-Government
Organization
2. (MNCs)- Multinational
Corporations – for profit
organizations
3. Violent non-state actors- are
including groups such as Al-
Qaeda, Abu Sayyaf
4. Religious Groups- in part
founded other non-state actors
such as Amnesty International,
Greenpeace, and OXFAM
5. Transnational diaspora
communities- ethnic or
national communities
COHRE (Center on Housing
Rights and Eviction)
HLP (Housing, Land and
Property)
ICBL (International Campaign to
Ban Landmines)
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Types of Inequalities
1. Amalgamation-A minority
and Majority blended or mixed
together to form new group
Ex. Amalgamation of
intermarriage
2. Assimilation-Members of
Minority group adopt the
culture of the majority group
Ex. Embracing culture of others
3. Segregation-keeping distinct
social group physically and
socially separate and unequal.
4. Genocide- Systematic killing
of a group people, based on
their race, ethnicity,
nationality or religion.
Bibliography
1. Learning, Lumen.
"Introduction to Sociology".
Lumen,
https://courses.lumenlearning.
com/sociology/chapter/what-
is-social-stratification/
2. https://www.slideshare.net/mi
chelleleabres7/ang-mga-
katayuan-ng-mamamayan-
noon
3. Mooney, Knox, and Schacht,
(2007). The Three Main
Sociological Perspectives.
Understanding Social
Problems.5th Edition