Choice: More for Some, Less for Others

When the importance of freedom and autonomy is embedded in the U.S Constitution, the plain assumption is that choice lends to greater well-being. But is choice distributed equally among all people, or should it be considered a privilege? Is choice always a good thing? While the syllogism at the beginning of Markus and Schwartz’s “Does Choice Mean Freedom and Well-Being?” implies that having choice shows signs of freedom, this preconceived notion is not always true. How much choice one has is significantly contingent on culture and socioeconomic class. Although having the ability to choose is a positive thing, the inequality and the lack of opportunity that make mobility more difficult in North America leads to the asymmetric levels of choice available for each socioeconomic class.