Can you explain the difference between structure and agency?

The debate between structure and agency is fundamental to sociological, anthropological and political theory. But it's also key to how we interpret everyday life. Essentially, it's all down to what shapes individual character and therefore moral responsibility. For structuralists, it is broader social structures that are primarily responsible for shaping individual character: the amount of equality in society, the amount of access different groups have to a good education, a fulfilling lifestyle and a good wage. Put simply, if I am brought up poor with less access to avenues of success, I am more likely to turn to crime. For those who focus on agency, the opposite is the case. Rather than being the products of shifts in society with little ability to determine their own paths, individuals have the capacity for reflective freedom. For this reason, although some people may have higher quality and quantity of opportunity than others, still a lack of opportunities cannot be relied upon as a predictor of individual behavior. In politics, structuralism is largely associated with parties of the political "left", that is, with a strong focus on state-based economic intervention, and on rehabilitative justice; and agency with those of the "right", or those focused on removing poltiical and economic barriers to individual success, and on punitive justice.