Inspiring Stories of Women who started their Careers ‘Late’ in Life

A child is often asked what he/she wants to be when they grow up. The reply to this is usually doctor, engineer or pilot. While some are certain about the career path they want to choose when they grow up, there are many who can’t figure out their interest or passion even when they’re 20, 30 or 40. Though society tends to laud entrepreneurs under 25, there are some people who find success late in life. It’s true that age and gender cannot determine when one might taste success and acclaim. For many, it’s all a matter of trial and error. Despite positive progress towards women careers, there are still certain barriers to a woman’s career advancement. Some of them include:  

• Gender stereotypes
• Family bounded barriers such as child responsibility, spousal restrictions and marriage
• Individual barriers such as personality traits and lack of confidence
• Institutional barriers – low pay, block promotion and exclusion from leadership positions
• Organisational-related constraints such as discrimination and masculine culture

Women entrepreneurs and leaders are constantly fighting these barriers so that they too can make a difference and contribute towards the welfare of the society.

Inspiring Stories of Women Who Started Their Careers Late In Life

In a world that constantly reminds us to achieve benchmarks by a certain age, there are some inspiring women who defied this norm and gave wings to their passion in their 40s or later. They proved that there is no deadline for success. If they can do it, you too can:


Image Source - The Better India

• Urmila Jamnadas

Urmila Jamnadas is an inspiring woman entrepreneur who started her venture ‘Gujju Ben Na Nasta’ at the age of 77. Popularly referred to as “dadiji”, Urmila has witnessed her fair share of struggles. She lost her new-born daughter, and her sons later in life to heart disease and brain tumour respectively. In the year 2019, her only grandson Harsh, met with an accident and lost his lower lip. Just when her family had seen all kinds of adversities, Urmila decided to start a venture that sells homemade Gujarati delicacies. Her outlet is located on Charni Road in Mumbai. The 77-year old young dadi who works around 80+ hours a week makes a revenue of Rs 3 lakh per month. Besides building an empire of good food, Urmila has also inspired many lives and became a TedX speaker. Her mouth-watering snacks can even be ordered on food-aggregating apps such as Swiggy and Zomato.

Image Source - GupShup

• Bhagawati M. Oza

Dr. Bhagawati Oza is the brand ambassador of Vadodara Marathon. She is also a recipient of the National Award for Older Persons in Sports and Adventure category and was given the same by President of India (at that time) Pranab Mukherjee. She is someone who adds a new hobby to her life every three years. At 86 years of age, she still has immense zeal for fitness-related activities. When she was 40, she took training in mountaineering. At 50, she got a pilot licence at Gujarat Flying Club, and completed 150 hours of flying. At 65, she participated in various sports and represented Gujarat at a national level. Right now at 86-years, she runs 5 kilometres every day and cycles 15 kilometres.  Dr. Oza feels it’s never too late to start learning a new skill. Kudos to her grit and determination. She constantly reminds us that there is no barrier to a woman’s career advancement.

Image Source - The Bridge

• Deepa Malik

Deepa Malik is a female athlete and Paralympic medallist who said yes to life at the age of 40. In the year 1999, Deepa was diagnosed with a spinal tumour. Even after undergoing three surgeries, she was still paralysed waist down. However, Deepa did not let her physical limitations deter her strong mind. At the age of 40, she finally decided to pursue a career in sports. Once she started, she was truly unstoppable. She is a recipient of 58 national and 18 international medals. She is also the first Indian woman to have won a Paralympics medal. Believe it or not, Deepa has undergone 31 surgeries and had 183 stitches between her waist and legs. Apart from being an avid athlete, Deepa is also a swimmer, disability activist, woman entrepreneur and biker.

Image Source - Finisher Magazine

• Taru Mateti

Taru Mateti believes it’s never too late to develop an interest and follow your dreams. At the age of 49, she realised her love for running and decided to follow her passion. Coming from a typical Indian middle-class family, Taru had a very modest upbringing. However, that’s what formed a wonderful base for her. Married for over 30 years, Taru was an engineer and had a teaching job. At one point in life, she felt she was capable of much more. That is when she decided to start running. Though not a professional runner, Taru now runs 50K ultra marathons and plays badminton avidly. Besides this, she also offers fitness sessions twice a week at an NGO called The Hope for Children Foundation. For the entire community, Taru has become an inspiring woman leader.

Image Source - Knowledge Tribe

• Premalata Agrawal

Premalata Agrawal is a mother of two, and realised her love for mountaineering when she was 35. She is the first Indian woman to scale the Seven Summits in seven continents. She is a woman who makes her own rules. Despite being schooled by society about her age, Premalata made her entry into adventure sports. She was trained and mentored by Bachendri Pal. She became the first woman to climb Mount Everest in 1984. Ever since she completed her Everest climb in 2011, there was literally no looking back for Premalata. In 2012, she was also named as the top Indian woman achievers by India Times.

These women leaders have proved that it’s never too late to start anything. They haven’t just made a visible difference in the world, but have also inspired people around them. Whether you’re 30, 40 or 50, if you have the passion to do something, just go ahead, follow your heart and prove the world wrong.