Agency means that people are able to express and act on their choices in a situation, even if they are not choices that other people agree with or would make themselves. “Bounded agency” is a phrase that describes how all people’s choices are limited by their culture, background, and access to resources and support. We often do not recognise the bounds (limits) of our own agency, especially if we have privilege. Have you ever heard someone say that the fish doesn’t notice the water it swims in? None of us has absolute freedom to do whatever we want because we have bounded agency, and not everybody understands “freedom” or “safety” the way we do.

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