Serena, nobody on this issue is contesting the need for part time working as a parent or carer, that is a perfectly acceptable and reasonable request.
One of the issues surrounding this case which has aggrovated the issue is the speed at which a junior pilot achieved their demands before it was their "time". If they had waited another couple of years it would have been a non event and we wouldn't be disecting the issue today.
I see from your post that you have been flying 17 years, Starmer had been flying about 21 months before all this kicked off.