Individual Choice of Occupation and Lifestyle

2 July 1998

Material progress has not led to uniformity in personal choice - as is sometimes claimed. In fact individuals have more freedom to choose, occupation, lifestyle and avocations than ever. The amount of choice will grow as societies become yet more prosperous.

How can we measure this? Here are some ways.

The total number of different occupations.
The reduced correlation between a person's occupation and that of his or her father or mother.
The increase in the number of available hobbies.
The increased choice in where to live. Grown children often live, by choice, very far from their parents.
Increased public tolerance of different lifestyles.