Surviving Poverty in the Philippines

Abstract: Basic human rights are not being met in many parts of the world. People in poverty suffer from hunger, ill-health, poor education and low standards of living which negatively affect their well-being. These reasons and poverty as a wide spread social problem that undermines the economy and development of entire nations, make poverty socially relevant and important to study. To understand how poor people experience and survive limitations in their quality of life, I came closer to their realities and observed the areas where poverty is accumulated in a town in the Philippines. I took into account the behaviours and appearances of poor people as well as listening to their stories. The purpose of this study is to describe and analyse their situations and the definitions of issues related to poverty. The objective is to gain more understanding and knowledge about poor people. This is a qualitative research in which Symbolic Interactionism is used as a framework. Data gathering includes participant and non participant observations as well as semi-structured interviews. The study reveals that poor people in addition to poverty also suffer from stigmas. Poor people implement a variety of strategies to survive, some are creative and others are norm-breaking. To cope with poverty social relations are important. There are differences in the way poverty affects women and men due to culturally defined gender roles. Religious beliefs against divorce and family planning through contraceptives contribute to more poverty among the poor people.