I agree it's tough to find part-time work when you're qualified, depending on who you're working for. Which is one reason I work for myself. I was looking ahead at my career path before kids and watching those ahead of me trying to juggle young families and highly-paid professional full-time jobs. It looked very stressful! (FWIW for both men and women, but especially women with children).

It took years to get myself established and a lot of luck, support and the right connections. Lucky I started well before DD came along. I had something to build back up without taking too much time out. And I'm well aware my area of expertise is an exception. Many women I see putting off having children to get their careers to a certain point. They are then in a better position to come back to the same job with only 12 mths off, but usually have to resort to full-time childcare. Which is not necessarily what they want to do.

Even when they do manage to negotiate part-time, it's usually part-time in the office and then more hours at home. Because full-time above a certain level does not mean 9-5. It means whatever time it takes you to get the job done (whenever, too, especially if you're working for a company with overseas connections). So part-time isn't half (or whatever) of full-time hours. It's handing off a few tasks/KPIs, but still getting what's left done, however you can. If some jobs have taken 60 hrs or thereabouts a week to finish (maybe not all the time, but definitely when it's busy), then even dropping back half of that is still leaving you a hectic week, especially when you have a child!

From what I can see, when you're paid well, the company expects you to be devoted to your job.