Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics

Modules in this course

 Introduction: The Understanding of Culture, Society, and Politics

 Defining Culture and Society: The Perspectives of Anthropology and Sociology
 Human Biocultural and Social Evolution
 Becoming a Member of Society
 Organization in Society
 Cultural, Social, and Political Institutions
 Social and Political Stratification
 Cultural, Social, and Political Change
 Human Adaptation and Social Change

Topics under this module

 Cultural Variations and Social Differences (Gender)

 Cultural Variations and Social Differences (Socioeconomic Class)
 Cultural Variations and Social Differences (Ethnicity)
 Cultural Variation and Social Differences (Religion)
 Cultural Variations and Social Differences (Exceptionality/Non-Exceptionality)
 Cultural Variations and Social Differences (Nationality)
 Social, Political, and Cultural Behavior and Phenomena
 Social, Political, and Cultural Change
 The Study of Culture, Society, and Politics

Cultural Variations and Social Differences

Objective
 At the end of this lesson, you should be able to discuss gender roles in Philippine society from pre-colonial to the
present era

 How do gender roles vary across cultures according to a particular culture’s beliefs and expectations concerning
men and women’s roles?

 Find out the answer in this lesson!

Gender and Gender Roles

People play different roles in society depending on age and occupation. There are jobs that require a specific gender to
perform tasks while other jobs are open to both men and women.

Gender
 Gender refers to social, cultural, and psychological characteristics or traits related to males and females based on
certain social contexts.
 It is different from sex, which refers to the biological characteristics that distinguish a male from a female.
  Thus, sex makes a person male or female, while gender makes a person masculine or feminine.

Gender Roles
 Gender roles refer to attitudes and behaviors that the society expects a person to exhibit based on his or her sex.
 For example, in traditional Philippine society, women are expected to be plain housewives and take care of their
children, while men are expected to be professionals and provide the needs of their family.
 Another example is that society expects women to be more emotional and sensitive while men are expected to be
strong and capable of doing things that women cannot do.

Gender Roles in Pre-colonial Philippine Society

In pre-colonial Philippines, males and females enjoyed the same rights and privileges. Different social functions were
assigned to different members of society. There were functions that were specifically given to males, females, or both.

Aside from being a priestess, the babaylan was also considered a healer, an adviser, and a seer.

Gender Roles in Philippine Society During the

Colonial Period
Gender roles during the colonial period changed drastically. Women were restrained from other activities outside their
homes, while men were given more social functions. These roles also changed as the Philippines was occupied by new
colonizers.

 With the coming of the Spaniards and the introduction of Catholicism, the babaylan lost their role in the religious
life of the community. This role was taken over by Catholic priests. Women were relegated to doing household
chores and taking care of children. More often than not, young women were not sent to school but instead trained to
be good wives and mothers for their future families. Some women were also forced to marry for economic and
political gain.
 During the American period, women had more freedom in society. They were allowed to study and work in any
field they wanted. They also adopted American values. Men and women became equal in the sense that it became
acceptable for both genders to have jobs and be educated.
 Although men and women were able to maintain their status in society during the Japanese period, women were
usually kept inside their houses to protect them from abusive Japanese soldiers. Men also became busy defending
the country, with most of them serving as soldiers.
Gender Roles in Current Philippine Society
At present, Philippine society is more open to allowing both men and women to perform different tasks not based solely on
gender, but on an individual’s capabilities and strengths. For example, fields like engineering, architecture, and medicine,
which are often associated with men, have long been open to women. Likewise, there are also lots of male teachers,
nurses,chefs, and hairdressers nowadays.

Explore!
What are your hobbies? Do you have a hobby that is typically done by the opposite sex? What do people say about your
"unusual" hobby?

Try it!
Ask five of your friends about their dream jobs. Does any of these jobs tend to be associated with men or women? What do
you think about your friends’ dream jobs?

What do you think?

Is it proper to limit a person’s choices based on his or her gender? Why or why not?

Tips
Gender is a set of characteristics that pertains to a person’s masculinity or femininity while biology determines sex. For
example, a man is male because he has male sex organs. He, however, can be considered effeminate because the things he
likes are often associated with women.

Keypoints
 Gender refers to social, cultural, and psychological characteristics or traits related to males and females based on
certain social contexts.
 Gender roles refer to attitudes and behaviors that the society expects a person to exhibit based on his or her sex.
 In pre-colonial Philippines, males and females enjoyed the same rights and privileges. Different social functions
were assigned to different members of society. There were functions that were specifically given to males, females,
or both.
  Gender roles during the colonial period changed drastically. Women were restrained from other activities outside
their homes, while men were given more social functions. These roles also changed as the Philippines was occupied
by new colonizers.
 The present Filipino society has become more open in allowing people of different genders to do things not based
on their sex but based on their capabilities.

Q1. What refers to social, cultural, and psychological characteristics or traits related to males and females based on certain social contexts?

Correct answer

gender

gender roles

sex

sex roles
Gender is typically used in reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones.

Q2. What is the set of behaviors that the society expects from a person based on his or her sex?

gender roles

sex roles

biological norms

behaviorism
Gender roles are dictated by society, which gives a set of attitudes and behaviors that is appropriate for a person of a
specific sex.

Q3. Who performed spiritual and social rituals during the pre-colonial period?

babaylan

bagani

maharlika

timawa

Explanation

The babaylan served as the spiritual leader and healer in pre-colonial society by performing spiritual and social rituals for the community.

Q4

Single Answer

Question

The babaylan lost her position in society upon the arrival of the Spaniards. Which among the following functions of the babaylan was taken
over by Catholic priests?

Correct answer

religious leader

mediator for the gods

healer

seer and adviser

Explanation
When the Spaniards arrived, Catholic priests baptized pre-colonial Filipinos into Catholicism, stripping the babaylans of their religious
functions.

Report errors
Q5

Single Answer

Question

What concept expects women to be sensitive and emotional?

Correct answer

gender roles

gender

sexism

sexual preference

Explanation

Gender roles assign a person's position depending on what is accepted by society.

Report errors
Q6

Single Answer

Question

What concept says that women are capable of bearing children?

Correct answer

sex

gender
masculinity

gender roles

Explanation

A person’s biological makeup determines what he or she cannot do with his or her body. In this case, a woman is biologically equipped with the
ability of bearing children.

Report errors
Q7

Single Answer

Question

Which statement is true?

Correct answer

Women enjoyed equal rights and status as men in the pre-colonial period.

Women enjoyed equal rights and status as men in the colonial period.

Women were relegated to doing household chores in the pre-colonial period.

Women were not allowed to study and hold important positions in society during the pre-colonial period.

Explanation

Our female ancestors were treated in the same way as our male ancestors, with some of them holding influential positions in society.

Report errors
Q8

Single Answer

Question

Andrea wants to be an engineer when she grows up. When she was younger, she used to play with her brother’s toy robots and cars. Her mother,
however, told her that she can only play with dolls because she is a girl.

Which among the following concepts apply in this situation?

Correct answer

gender role

sex role

sex discrimination

social roles

Explanation

Andrea, as a girl, is expected by society to like the things that other girls like.

Objective
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to define and discuss the different socioeconomic classes that exist in
Philippine society.

 What are the different socioeconomic classes in the Philippines?

 How did these socioeconomic classes change through time?

Find out the answers in this lesson!

Philippine society can be categorized into various socioeconomic classes. During prehistoric times, our ancestors developed
a society where people were assigned with different social functions. However, as society changed, differences in societal
functions became wider and more diverse.

Socioeconomic Classes during the Pre-Colonial

Period
Prior to the coming of the Spaniards, the community was called a barangay. It was headed by a datu or rajah. Our ancestors
were divided into three different groups−maharlika, timawa, and alipin.

Maharlika (Leaders and Royals)

 first social class
 composed of community leaders (datu) and their families
  also called the group of the maginoo, raha, or gat

Timawa (Freemen)
 second or “middle” social class
 composed of all freemen living in the barangay
 consisted of workers, warriors, merchants, and others who were not under debt bondage
 had their own properties such as houses and pieces of land to cultivate

Alipin (Slaves)
 third class
 served another person or family as payment for debt
 became slaves when their families lost to a war with another
 were not bound to their masters for life
 could go back to their previous status as soon as they pay off their debts, or if they marry a maharlika, who will
then pay for their debt
 had two kinds−aliping saguiguilid and aliping namamahay

Aliping Namamahay

 had their own properties such as houses or pieces of land

 often from the timawa class and became slaves because of debt or as punishment for a wrongdoing
 could go back to being part of the timawa class once they pay off their debt

Aliping saguiguilid

 did not have the right to own any property

 often came from a family of slaves or were captives in war
 could also be sold or exchanged for goods or other slaves

Socioeconomic Classes during the Spanish

Colonial Period
Upon the coming of the Spaniards, Philippine society changed and a new set of socioeconomic classes was created. During
this period, the people were divided based on their ancestry—peninsulares, insulares, mestizo, and indio.

Peninsulares
 Spaniards in the Philippines who were born in Spain
 came from the word “peninsula,” which was in direct reference to the Spanish peninsula

Insulares
 Spaniards who were of Spanish descent but were born in the Philippines
 came from the word “insular,” which means "from the islands"

Mestizos
 those of mixed ancestry
 usually children of Spanish and Chinese couples or of Spanish and indio couples
 had economic and political power because of their mixed heritage
Indios
 consisted of the natives
 the lowest class in society
 were stripped of their rights and freedom
 were forced to bow down to Spanish colonizers

This kind of system lasted for hundreds of years, until the time when some insulares and mestizos were able to gain some
form of power. In the 19th century, the so-called “middle class” emerged—the principalia and the ilustrados.

Principalia
 consisted of native leaders in the government and their families
 were often educated and served as gobernadorcillo (town mayor) or cabeza de barangay (barangay leader)

Ilustrados
 the children of the principalia who usually studied in Europe
 consisted mostly of the popular artists and scholars of the period, including Jose Rizal

Modern Socioeconomic Classes

Socioeconomic classes changed when the Philippines gained independence from Spain. The Americans introduced
democracy and did not impose any form of socioeconomic class in the country.

At present, a person’s position in society is based mainly on his or her family’s economic status. Social stratification or the
division of society based on occupation, income, wealth, or power is simpler at present than in the past.

In 1987, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) divided the population into high-income, middle-income,
and low-income classes.

High-income Class
 people earning an average of PhP 200,000 per month
 the “rich” class that accounts for merely one percent of the country’s total population

Middle-income Class
 people earning an average of PhP 36,000 per month
 consists of professionals and small-scale entrepreneurs

Low-income Class
 people earning less than PhP 10,000 per month
 consists of laborers and minimum wage earners

Social Mobility
Unlike in other societies where persons born into a specific class have no choice but to die as part of the same class, people
in the Philippines usually have the opportunity to transfer from a lower socioeconomic class to a higher one.

This process, called social mobility, is:

  the movement of people or families within or between different levels in society, and
 the opportunity to transfer from a lower socioeconomic class to a higher one possibly through education or
marriage.

Explore!
Have you ever wondered why young children are often asked what they want to be when they grow up? Most children
choose to be doctors, engineers, lawyers, or any high-earning profession that often comes from long years of education. In
some cases, students will choose their college degrees based solely on their socioeconomic capabilities.

Try it!
Research more about your community, and compare it to other communities in your city or province. If possible, ask local
leaders for basic information about the budget and spending of your barangay. Compare your data with those of your
classmates'. Note the differences in budget and spending in each barangay. What may have caused the differences you
noted? Where did each barangay focus its spending?

What do you think?

In which socioeconomic class does your family belong? What can you do to help your family climb up the modern
socioeconomic ladder?

Tips
 Knowing about one’s socioeconomic class is not a cause for discrimination. Everyone in the Philippines has the
same set of rights regardless of socioeconomic class.
 If one can move from a lower socioeconomic class to a higher one, it is also possible for the opposite to occur.

Keypoints
 Anyone can move from one socioeconomic class to another, depending on educational attainment and life
decisions.
 Social mobility is the movement of people or families within or between different levels in society.
 Social stratification is the division of society based on occupation, income, wealth, or power.

Objective
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to define and discuss different concepts and issues regarding ethnicity and
ethnic groups in the Philippines.

 What is ethnicity?
 What is race and how is it related to ethnicity?
 What are the issues regarding ethnicity?
 What are the ethnic groups in the Philippines?

Find out the answers in this lesson!

Ethnicity and Race

Every society consists of people from different families, ethnic groups, and races. This makes society very diverse and
unique.
Ethnicity
 Ethnicity refers to a group of people, also called the ethnic group, who have a common or shared culture,
language, history, religion, and tradition.
 Here, people are divided into groups based on different social factors.

Examples: Filipinos, Malays, Anglo-Saxons, and Muslims.

Race
 Race refers to a group of people that shares the same physical attributes, such as skin color, height, and facial
features.
 People are grouped into different races based on their physical appearance.
 Human beings are classified into three major races−Caucasoid, Mongoloid, and Negroid.
 These classifications are based on the color of the skin, the shape of the face and eyes, texture of the hair, and other
prominent physical features.

Two people belonging to the same race may be part of different ethnic groups. For example, Asians belong
to the Mongoloid race but consists of different ethnic groups like the Japanese, the Chinese, and the
Malays. They all share the same physical features but have different cultures, histories, and languages.

Ethnolinguistic Groups in the Philippines

There are more than 180 ethnic or ethnolinguistic groups in the Philippines, which are based on the language each group
uses.
  There are eight major ethnolinguistic groups in the country:
1. Ilokano,
2. Kapampangan,
3. Pangasinense,
4. Tagalog,
5. Bikolano,
6. Ilonggo,
7. Cebuano, and
8. Waray.
 Other smaller ethnolinguistic groups are the Ibanag, Ivatan, Sambal, Subanon, Maguindanaoan, and
Zamboangueño.

There are also indigenous groups in the country that may belong to the same ethnolingguistic groups, but have different
cultures or traditions. Some of them are the Mangyans of Mindoro, the Igorots of the Mountain Province, and the Moros of
Mindanao.

Issues About Race and Ethnicity

Ethnicity and race are categories that divide people based on their social affinities or physical similarities. However,
differences in ethnicity and race make some people believe that one ethnic group is superior than others. This belief creates
discrimination and prejudice against people from minorities who are perceived to be of “inferior” ethnicity or race.

There are different types of discrimination against one’s ethnicity or race.

Racism

 Racism is discrimination or prejudice based on one’s race.

  In the 1970s, white Americans (Caucasoids) discriminated black Americans (Negroids) who were descendants of
immigrants from African countries.

Ethnocentricism

 Ethnocentrism is discrimination or prejudice based on one’s culture.

 Recently, Muslim extremists discriminate Christians and non-Muslims in Muslim countries because of their
religion.
 In the Philippines, Muslims experience prejudice and discrimination in Christian-dominated regions like Metro
Manila. Because of the ongoing conflict in Mindanao between the government and Islamic militants, Christians
tend to think that all Muslims are terrorists.
 On the other hand, some Christians and ethnic groups are discriminated and prejudiced against in Muslim-
dominated areas.

Discrimination against one’s race or culture may cause crimes against it.

Genocide

 Genocide is the elimination of a group of people from the same race, ethnic group, religion, or nation.
 It is an extreme action against people from another ethnicity or race.
 The Holocaust during the World War II, executed by the Nazis of Germany led by Adolf Hitler, killed millions of
Jews all over Europe.

Ethnic cleansing

 Ethnic cleansing is the harassment, rape, or forced migration of an ethnic group to banish them from a certain area
or territory.
 This happens in certain areas in Africa.

Explore!
Research about your family. Look into the ethnicity of your parents as well as your grandparents. Is there anyone from your
family who is part of a different race or ethnic group? If so, how did your parents introduce you to the different cultures and
languages of your family?

Try it!
Pick five of your classmates or friends and ask them about Philippine languages that they know. Ask them to share a
characteristic or practice that distinguishes their ethnic group from other groups.

What do you think?

In your opinion, what are the advantages and disadvantages of being ethnocentric?

Keypoints
 Ethnicity refers to a group of people, also called the ethnic group, who have a common culture, language, history,
religion, and tradition.
 People from the same ethnic group share a common culture, language, religion, belief, and tradition.
 There are more than 180 ethnolinguistic groups in the Philippines.
 Race refers to a group of people that shares the same physical attributes, such as skin color, height, and facial
features.
 Racism is prejudice or discrimination against people of other races with the idea that one’s race is superior than
others'.
 Ethnocentrism is similar to racism, but it discriminates based on differences in culture.
 Ethnocentrism and racism may lead to genocide or ethnic cleansing which are crimes against a specific ethnic
group or race.
Test I.
1. What refers to social, cultural, and psychological characteristics or traits related to males and females based on
certain social contexts?
a. gender b. gender roles c. sex d. sex roles
2. What is the set of behaviors that the society expects from a person based on his or her sex?
a. b. sex roles b. biological norms c. behaviorism d. gender roles
3. Who performed spiritual and social rituals during the pre-colonial period?
a. bagani b. maharlika c. babaylan d.timawa
4. The babaylan lost her position in society upon the arrival of the Spaniards. Which among the following functions of
the babaylan was taken over by Catholic priests?
a. mediator for the gods b. religious leader c. healer d. seer and adviser
5. What concept expects women to be sensitive and emotional?
a. gender b. sexism c. gender role d. sexual preference
6. What concept says that women are capable of bearing children?
a. gender b. sex c. masculinity d. gender roles
7. Which statement is true?
a. Women enjoyed equal rights and status as men in the pre-colonial period.
b. Women enjoyed equal rights and status as men in the colonial period.
c. Women were relegated to doing household chores in the pre-colonial period.
d. Women were not allowed to study and hold important positions in society during the pre-colonial period.
8. Andrea wants to be an engineer when she grows up. When she was younger, she used to play with her brother’s toy
robots and cars. Her mother, however, told her that she can only play with dolls because she is a girl.
Which among the following concepts apply in this situation?
a. sex role b. sex discrimination c. gender role d. social roles
9. Why is gender discrimination a problem in society?
a. because members of other genders believe they are superior to others
b. because men should always be the leaders of society
c. because women should always be the leaders of society
10. Mike is being bullied in school for being more feminine than other boys his age. His classmates tell him that boys
should not act like girls because it is what is expected by society.
What is shown in this situation?

a. Society dictates how one should act based on their sexual preference.
b. Gender roles are followed by everyone in society.
c. Gender roles do not dictate who a person is.
d. Society dictates how a person should act based on being male or female.
Test II

1. What do you call Spaniards who were born in Spain and went to the Philippines?
2. What is the movement of people or families within or between different levels in the society?
3. What do you call the pre-colonial social class composed of leaders and their families?
4. What is the difference between a peninsulares and an insulares?
5-6. What are the things that can make social mobility in the Philippines possible?
7. Bulan belongs to a family of warriors. When his barangay was attacked by a rival clan, his family was captured and
was brought to the rival's community. In what pre-colonial class will Bulan and his family belong in after their
capture?
8. Jona's father is a teacher who earns PhP 25,000 per month, while her mother is an office clerk who earns PhP
22,000 per month. In which modern socioeconomic class does Jona's family belong?
9. Juan’s father is a Spaniard, while his mother is of Chinese ancestry. He married the daughter of a Spanish general to
gain political and economic power. In which class will his children belong?
10. Prior to the coming of the Spaniards, the community was called ___________________________.
RELIGION
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

 explain religion as a form of cultural variation,

 describe the diversity of religions in the world and in the Philippines, and
 analyze issues regarding religion in the world and in the Philippines.

 How is cultural variation explained in terms of religion?

 What are the existing religions in the world and in the Philippines?
 What are the issues surrounding differences in religion?

Religion as a Cultural Variation

 We live in a world with varying and diverse cultures.
 Cultural variation or differences take many forms within and among societies, one of which is religion.
 Religion can be defined as a set of practices and behaviors that relate to a group of people's belief in a god or a
group of gods.
 Sociologists studying religion consider it a part of society's culture.
 In most cases, religion not only affects a person's belief, but one's way of life.

Variety of Religion
 There are many religions around the world.
 Among the major religions in the world are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Taoism, and Buddhism.
 Each of these religions has its own set of beliefs and practices that must be followed by its believers.
 In a society, several religions may exist, and since religion affects an individual’s way of life, we can observe
cultural variations in the form of different religions.

Religion in the Philippines

 The Philippines is a secular country, which means that the government does not prescribe a specific set of activities
or laws based on religion. A citizen's right to choose his or her own religion is protected by the Philippine
Constitution.
 In the Philippines, the majority of the population are Christians, with a certain portion of the population practicing
Islam, particularly in the southern part of the country.
 Buddhism, Taoism, and Hinduism are also practiced by a small number of inhabitants in the archipelago.
 Different religions are being practiced in Philippine society today. This variation in religion is a product of the
evolution of Philippine society across time.
Understanding Cultural Variation in the Form of
Religion
 Cultural variations do exist as exemplified through different religions in the world, more so in Philippine society.
 For example, Christians and Muslims believe in one God, Hindus believe in many gods, and Buddhists do not.
 The sets of practices and beliefs of a particular religion influence the behavior of its followers and their interaction
with other members of society.

Issues Surrounding Differences in Religion

Because people have different religions, issues and conflicts between religious groups or denominations cannot be
prevented.

Problems or Conflicts
 Since differences in religion do not only mean worshipping different gods, conflicts sometimes arise between
believers.
 Some believers of a particular religion feel like they are being marginalized, while some feel like those following
other religions are taking advantage of their number.
 It may be easy to be swayed by religious differences and start a conflict. A believer or follower of a particular
religion may offend a follower of another religion if he or she imposes his or her religious beliefs or practices.
 In history, bloody wars happened because of religious differences, and unfortunately, conflicts continue until now
due to varying religions.
Solutions or Actions
 To prevent conflicts, the Philippine government, for example, started recognizing some of the special days
celebrated by different religions.
 Employees are not required to work during Holy Week, when Catholics commemorate the suffering and death of
Jesus Christ.
 The start and end of the Ramadan are also considered holidays, just like when the Chinese celebrate the start of
their new year.
 This way, the government allows followers of different religions to attend to their religious obligations without
work getting in the way.
 To those conflicts brought about by differences in religion, the key word is respect. This entails a conscious effort
to acquire cultural knowledge and understand which this course is mainly about.

Explore!
Do some research about the beliefs and practices of your religion and of others' religions. List down their similarities and
differences.

Try it!
Find some of your friends or friends of your family who belong to other religions. Ask them how their religion affects the
way they behave and interact in society. You may also ask them how much they know about other religions and their
perceptions of the people who belong to those religions.

What do you think?

In your opinion, why is it important to respect differences in religion and religious practices?

Keypoints
 Cultural variation takes many forms, one of which is religion.
 Religion is a set of practices and behaviors that relate to a group of people's belief in a god or group of gods.
 Among the major religions in the world are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
 In the Philippines, the majority of the population are Christians, with a certain portion of the population
practicing Islam, particularly in the southern part of the country, while some inhabitants practice Buddhism,
Taoism, or Hinduism.
 Protestants also believe in Jesus Christ, but they do not share the same practices as Catholicism.
 The Philippine government started to recognize special days in different religions to give believers freedom to
practice their own religions.
 Despite being largely Catholic, the Philippines remains a secular country. A citizen's right to choose his or her
own religion is protected by the Philippine Constitution.
 Many conflicts happened because of cultural variations such as differences in religion.
 Recognizing cultural variations and showing respect to different religions can help avoid conflict.
 Respect can effectively be achieved through the conscious effort of acquiring cultural knowledge and
understanding.
Exceptionality and the Exceptional People
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
 describe exceptionality and non-exceptionality as a form of social category or one’s source of identity,
 explain the characteristics that make a person “exceptional,”
 discuss the challenges and problems affecting exceptional people, and
 suggest solutions to the problems.
 What makes a person exceptional?
 How similar/different are they from “non-exceptional” people?

Exceptionality and the Exceptional People

People have different characteristics, needs, desires, lifestyles, and challenges. However, there are people who, from one
reason or another, are described or categorized by the society as exceptional.

What do the words "gifted," "disabled," "challenged," or "different" mean to you? How does society influence your
knowledge and attitudes toward people with such labels and differences?

Exceptionality
 a quality or a characteristic of a person that makes him or her different from an established norm in a society
 various physical and mental interference or problems that affect a person and which makes it difficult for him or
her to function properly in society

Exceptional People
 differ from societal and community standards of normalcy
 have learning or behavioral problems and physical and sensory disabilities
 are intellectually gifted

The characteristics that make a person exceptional may have been acquired from birth, through a medical condition, or
through an accident.

Exceptional People: Challenges and Problems

Exceptional people, the disabled, or the intellectually gifted, encounter challenges and issues in dealing with other members
of the society.
Here are some common problems and challenges that exceptional people experience.

Overcoming Challenges and Problems

In the Philippines, despite the passage of Republic Act 7277 or the Magna Carta for People with Disabilities (PWDs) in
1991, there are still significant barriers that keep exceptional people from fully participating in society−including the stigma
surrounding disability and society’s poor understanding of the abilities and aspirations of exceptional people. However, the
government, private sectors, media, and some concerned groups have been working together to solve these existing
problems.
Here are some ways on how both private and public sectors have been helping them.

The picture below shows the International Symbol of Access (ISA). It is found in locations or spots that are
designated for all persons with disabilities.
Explore!
Aside from those already mentioned, what other rights and privileges do PWDs enjoy?

Try it!
Take note of areas where you see the ISA in malls and public transportations. Compare the number of these spots to the
number of PWDs in the Philippines. Are there enough areas reserved for them in the country?

What do you think?

Research on some notable persons with disabilities who made a difference in the world. What do you think made their
achievements unique? What do their accomplishments say about a person’s “disability”?

Keypoints
 Society categorizes people based on their characteristics, needs, desires, lifestyles, and challenges.
 Exceptionality refers to a characteristic of a person that makes him or her different from the established norms in
society.
 Exceptional people are individuals who differ from societal and community standards of normalcy.
 Some of the problems and challenges that the exceptional people experience are discrimination, limited access to
educational opportunities, and isolation from society.
 Philippine Republic Act 7277 gives special rights and privileges to persons with disabilities (PWDs).
 The Internationl Symbol of Access (ISA) is placed in all areas that are reserved for PWDs, regardless of their
disability.
 By law, all public schools in the Philippines are mandated to offer special education classes for all students with
physical or learning disabilities.
Nation, Nationality, and Citizenship
The line of distinction between the terms "nation" and "nationality" is quite thin. Most of the time, "nationality" and
"citizenship" are used interchangeably. However, it is important to note that these words do not mean the same thing and
actually pertain to different concepts.

Nation
A nation is a large aggregate of people united by common descent, history, culture, language, and economic life through
inhabiting a particular country or territory.

Example:

The United Kingdom is a country inhabited mainly by people of four nations: English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh.

A nation emphasizes a particular group of people, and a country emphasizes the physical dimensions and boundaries of a
geographical area. On the other hand, a state is a self-governing legal and political entity.

Nationality
 It is a person’s instinctive membership to a specific nation or country.
 It can be acquired by an individual from the country where he or she was born (jus soli).
 It can be acquired by an individual through his or her parents (jus sanguinis)
 An individual is a national of a particular country by birth. Nationality is acquired through inheritance from his or
her parents.
 People with the same nationality often share the same language, culture, territory, and in some cases, ancestry.
They share the same rights and are protected by the same laws.

Citizenship
 It is a person’s legal and political status in a city or state, which means that an individual has been registered with
the government in some country.
 An individual becomes a citizen of a country only when he or she is accepted into that country’s political
framework through legal terms.

Examples:

 An individual born in the Philippines has a Filipino nationality. He may, however, apply for citizenship in another
country, should he wish to (e.g. a Filipino national applying for citizenship in Mexico).
 Some people from European Union member countries may have European citizenships that are different from their
nationalities (e.g. an Italian national who is registered as a German citizen).
 No one will be able to change his nationality, but one can have a different citizenship.

Filipino Nationality
 The Philippine Nationality Law is based on the principles of jus sanguinis or "right of blood." Therefore, anyone
with a parent who is a citizen or national of the Republic of the Philippines can acquire Philippine citizenship. This
is the primary method of acquiring citizenship.
 For people born in the Philippines to non-Filipino parents, the Administrative Naturalization Law of 2000 (R.A.
9139) provides an avenue for administrative naturalization.

Issues Regarding Nationality and Statelessness

What are some issues concerning nationality and statelessness?
Right to a Nationality
 Every person has a right to a nationality.
 The right to a nationality is a fundamental human right. It is an individual’s right to acquire, change, or retain his
or her nationality. Thus, a country’s law cannot deprive a person the right to gain a nationality, in case he or she
loses it.

Statelessness
 People who do not have a nationality are considered as stateless people.
 According to Article 1 of the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), "a stateless person is someone who is not considered as a national by
any State under the operation of its law."
 Most stateless people are considered "refugees," while others lose their nationalities due to war or conflict, or if
their country is annexed by another country and loses its sovereignty.

Case Study: Statelessness in Sabah

Most Filipinos living in Sabah, Malaysia are considered "stateless." Thus, they are not recognized as people with a
nationality. They do not belong to any country or nation.

Since Sabah is a contested territory between Malaysia and the Philippines, the people in Sabah experience problems in
securing their nationalities. Filipinos from nearby Sulu and Tawi-tawi, even those who are born in Sabah, are not
recognized by the Malaysian government as Malaysians. They are also denied of their Filipino nationality since they are not
properly registered in the Philippines. As a result, they do not enjoy the rights and privileges that citizens of either country
enjoy.

This concern is also true in areas and territories under war and conflict.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) handles all issues regarding refugees and stateless
people. The role of UNHCR is to identify stateless people and protect their rights, as well as prevent statelessness from
happening all over the world. They also aid stateless people in acquiring new citizenship in other countries.

Explore!
Do some research on the number of stateless people in the world, and list the reasons why they are considered stateless.
How do you think can other countries, like the Philippines, help them in their plight?

Try it!
Look for a foreigner living in the Philippines or a Filipino residing in another country. Ask them the same question: Do you
want to be a Filipino citizen? Why or why not? You can use social media to look for respondents.

What do you think?

Why do you think a lot of Filipinos migrate to other countries and give up their Filipino citizenship?

Keypoints
 Nationality is the person’s automatic membership to a specific nation while citizenship is a person’s political
status in a city or state.
 No one will be able to change his or her nationality, but one can have a different citizenship.
 Every person has a right to a nationality because it is a fundamental human right.
 Statelessness is not having a nationality.
  The role of the UNHCR is to identify stateless people, protect their rights, prevent statelessness from happening all
over the world, and aid refugees in acquiring new citizenship in other countries.

Social Behavior and Phenomena

Social behavior and phenomena are broad and complicated sociological concepts. These involve every event between at
least two individuals and include all knowledge and experiences a person acquires in the entirety of his or her lifetime.

Social phenomena are the individual, external, and social constructions that influence a person’s life and development.

The table below shows some examples of social behavior and phenomena.

Political Behavior and Phenomena

In sociology, political behavior and phenomena include events through which authority, governance, and public opinion
are put into practice.

A political behavior of a person or a group may be influenced by their political views, ideologies, and levels of political
participation. An example of an act of political behavior is the act of voting.

Political phenomena are not only limited to public offices as these also include how institutions like schools, churches, or
companies are run and governed.

The table below shows some examples of political behavior and phenomena.
Cultural Behavior and Phenomena
Also known as the bandwagon effect, a cultural behavior is an event where certain individuals behave a certain way
merely because other persons do as well.

A cultural phenomenon happens when something or someone gains widespread popularity. However, it is noteworthy that
it is not the subject that is the cultural phenomenon but rather the process of becoming famous.

The table below shows some examples of cultural behavior and phenomena.

Interactions within Society

Social, political, and cultural behaviors and phenomena in the society are results of interactions within society. People talk
and share stories. People share ways of living among other things. People do things together and work for the attainment of
the common good and social order. These behaviors, be they usual or not, are natural responses to changes and ideologies
developing within society as a result of constant interactions between its members.

Explore!
 How should a person show curiosity about social, cultural, and political phenomena?
 Should people always be open to knowledge and experiences brought about by social, cultural, and political
behaviors? Explain your answer.

Try it!
Aside from what was mentioned in this lesson, identify other events and classify them as either social, cultural, or political
phenomena. Write at least two for each.
What do you think?
Is it possible for a person to gain knowledge and experiences without interacting with other members of society? Explain
your answer.

Keypoints
 Social phenomena are the individual, external, and social constructs that influence a person’s life and
development.
 Political behavior and phenomena include events through which authority, governance, and public opinion are
put into practice.
 Cultural behavior is emphasized when certain individuals behave a certain way merely because other individuals
do so as well.