Government Programs and

Initiatives in Addressing
Social Inequalities
 Objectives
After going through this module, you are expected to:

a) identify the social inequalities prevalent in our

society;

b) identify and describe the programs and initiatives of

the government in addressing inequalities.
 What is Social Inequality?
 is the difference in the distribution of social desirables such
as wealth, power, and prestige.
 Social inequality is the state of unequal distribution of
valued goods and opportunities, rewards, and punishments
of individuals based on their social class or status.
 Social inequality results from a society organized by
hierarchies of class, race, and gender that unequally
distributes access to resources and rights. It can manifest
in a variety of ways, like income and wealth inequality,
unequal access to education and cultural resources, and
differential treatment by the police and judicial system,
among others. Social inequality goes hand in hand with
 What are these Social
Inequalities?
1. Inequality in the access to social, political, & symbolic capital

Social Capital It refers to the connection of individuals within the

society to work together in a group to effectively achieve a
common purpose. An example of this is your social status. Rich
people have preferential treatment than that of poor people.
 What are these Social
Inequalities?
1. Inequality in the access to social, political, & symbolic capital

Political Capital refers to the trust, good will, and influence

possessed by a political actor, such as politician, to mobilize
support toward a preferred policy outcome. Example is that,
governor will be given a preferential treatment, political actors
coming from political families had given preferential treatment to
enter politics than those who are not.
 What are these Social
Inequalities?
1. Inequality in the access to social, political, & symbolic capital

Symbolic capital can be referred to as the resources available

to an individual based on honor, prestige or recognition, and
serves as value that one holds within a culture. A war hero, for
example, may have symbolic capital in the context of running for
political office, or rich people had greater opportunities to enter
politics or in any other aspects because of their level in the
society.
 Government Programs Addressing Social
Inequalities:
 Conditional Cash Transfer or Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino
Program (4Ps), under the Department of Social Welfare and
Development is a government program that provides
conditional cash grants to the poorest of the poor in the
Philippines to improve the health, nutrition, and the education
of children aged 0-18. Pregnant women must get
prenatal care, with their births attended to by
professional health workers. Parents or guardians are
required to participate in monthly sessions to learn about
positive child discipline, disaster preparedness, and
women’s rights.
Government Programs Addressing Social
Inequalities:
 Education For All under the Department of
Education (DepEd) - ensures that all children
have access to basic education of good quality.
This implies creating an environment in schools
and in basic education programs in which
children are both able and enabled to learn.
 Government Programs Addressing these
Inequalities:
 Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) under the
Department of Agrarian Reform seeks to solve the
centuries old problem of landlessness in rural areas.
Initiated in 1987, the government addressed key national
goals: the promotion of equity and social justice, food security
and poverty alleviation in the countryside. However, the program is
yet to be completed and is currently burdened with major
issues - from opposition by landlords and lack of support from
legislators, to wide
gaps in fund resources.
Government Programs Addressing these
Inequalities:
 SK Reform Act of 2015 has the provisions that prohibits political
dynasty. It prohibits any person to run in any Sangguniang
Kabataan Office either elected or appointed if it has a
relative up to second degree in the barangay level to
governorship.

 The Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act is a law

that institutionalizes free tuition and exemption from other
fees in state universities and colleges (SUCs), local
universities and colleges (LUCs) in the Philippines. The law also
foresees subsidies also for private higher education institutions. It
is intended to give underprivileged Filipino students a
chance to earn a college degree.
 2. Minority groups
- are groups composed of less-dominant classifications in society
that experience disproportionately lower opportunities than their
dominant counterparts.

Relevant Issues Involving Minority Groups:

1. Gender Inequality
 In some countries women are paid relatively
lower than men due to their sexuality and biological
differences.
 The LGBT community has always been
treated indifferently and discriminatively because they
do not fall within a biologically defined gender group.
 Government Programs:

 The Philippine Plan for Gender-Responsive

Development (PPGD)

- rests on a vision of development that is equitable,

sustainable, free from violence, respectful of human
rights, supportive of self-determination and the
actualization of human potentials, and participatory and
empowering.
 The Magna Carta of Women (MCW) is a comprehensive women’s human rights law that seeks to
eliminate discrimination through the recognition, protection, fulfillment, and promotion of the rights
of Filipino women.

It salient features are:

1. Increasing the number of women in third level positions in government to achieve a fifty-fifty (50-
50) gender balance.
2. Leave benefits of two (2) months with full pay based on gross monthly compensation for women
employees who undergo surgery caused by gynecological disorders.
3. Provision for equal access and elimination of discrimination in education, scholarships, and
training. Thus, “expulsion, non-readmission, prohibiting enrollment, and other related
discrimination of women students and faculty due to pregnancy out of marriage shall be outlawed.
4. Non-discrimination in employment in the field of military, police and other similar services.
5. Non-discriminatory and non-derogatory portrayal of women in media and film to raise the
consciousness of the general public in recognizing the dignity of women and the role and
contribution of women in family, community, and the society through the
strategic use of mass media;
6) Equal status given to men and women on the titling of the land and issuance
of stewardship contracts and patents.
 2. Ethnic Minorities
o Because some minorities live traditionalistic lives far
away from the city and technology, and some may appear
differently than usual, they have been consistently labeled and
treated as people with minimal knowledge and capabilities.
o Lack of resources easily available for many are not
utilized within their group, and thus receive negative attention
from the dominant public.
Programs:
 Republic Act 8371, known as the Indigenous Peoples Rights
Act (IPRA), was enacted in 1997. It has been praised for its
support for the cultural integrity of indigenous peoples, the right
to their lands and the right to self-directed development of
these lands.
 3. Other Minorities
• This may include people with disabilities or people with religions that are less
prevalent in society.
• These minorities experience discrimination in work, especially when the
disabled have physical limitations, while the religious have practices and
beliefs that are greatly disagreed upon by the majority.

Programs:
 Republic Act No. 9442, an Act Amending Republic Act No. 7277,
Otherwise known as the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons, and For Other
Purposes’ Granting
Additional Privileges and Incentives and Prohibitions on Verbal, Non-verbal
Ridicule and Vilification Against Persons with Disability.

 Enactment of Anti-Bullying Law which mandates directed all elementary

and secondary schools to adopt policies to address the existence of bullying
in their respective institutions.
Thank you!