In Outliers, Gladwell presents the concepts of concerted cultivation and the presumption of being heard, which allowed Billie Jean King to have more confidence going into her success as an athlete and leader in the feminist movement. Concerted cultivation leads to presumption of being heard because it is this sense of entitlement that leads children to voice their opinions. Gladwell claims, “Concerted cultivation has enormous advantages. The heavily scheduled middle-class child is exposed to a constantly shifting set of experiences. She learns teamwork and how to cope in highly structured settings. To speak up when she needs to. In Lareau’s words, the middle-class children learn a sense of “entitlement”’ (Gladwell 105). Gladwell explores an example of a boy who received concerted cultivation named Alex. Alex was raised in a middle-class family, one in which supported him to voice his opinion and ask for what he needs. To further explain his story Gladwell says, “In so doing, he successfully shifts the balance of power away from …show more content…
When King first began playing sports they were gender biased. King was not allowed to continue a career in softball because it was not “ladylike”. Females were subject to discrimination not only in the sports field, but many more careers. King, however, made a lasting impact on the way women are viewed and treated in the sports world. By winning the Battle of the Sexes, King showed the world women are just as good as men. She fought for equal pay and equal treatment from men to women. Women’s tennis is now as popular as men's, proving King made a change. Without King, famous female athletes such as Serena and Venus Williams owe their opportunity for success to King. The world without equality is a dark and degrading place, and the light that is shed can only be attributed to Billie Jean King