Billie Jean King, who won 39 major tennis titles, shattered several clichés during her playing career. She was the first woman athlete to win more than $100,000 in a season (1971) and beat Bobby Riggs in the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ (1973). This week, she broke another cast by receiving her bachelor’s degree in history at the ripe young age of 82—more than six decades after starting at California State University, Los Angeles. The trend of women extending their studies at a late age is gaining ground in India, too. Jyoti Shahane from Thane recently completed her master’s in Marathi at age 71. In 2021, Sasikala Rawal of Ujjain received her PhD in Sanskrit at 80. As Billie Jean said, “Whatever age you are, go for it if you want it.”
