Working women benefit from technology

Wendy Tuohy points out that grandmothers, sometimes at the height of their careers, cut hours to provide unpaid child care (“Grandmothers cut hours to provide unpaid child care,” March 29). It’s been like this for years. I did this at a time when I could have reached the peak of my career; these grandchildren are now in their mid-to-late twenties and have children of their own. At 77, I am still working as a consultant in my chosen field, so this has not affected my course, it has only adjusted it. I observe this generation of moms, including my CEO daughter, doing the exact same thing, but they have the advantage of technology and are juggling care with online meetings, baby trackers, even taking the kids to work when needed, and sometimes with great-grandma stepping in for short bursts. Women always find a way to lift up the next generation, and we’re great at multitasking. Do it grandmas and grandpas, it’s extremely rewarding.
Jenny Gilder, Bligh Park

Schooling gets personal

As the old Castrol line goes, “fats are not fats” (“Public parents fighting to go to private school,” March 29). Public schools are not public schools either. Some are clearly better than others, and there’s a reason for that. Better publicity and higher standards help. The Glebe P&C initiative is commendable. But marketing only goes so far. Schools in wealthier suburbs benefit from parents who are more academically involved and push their children harder. This attracts families from outside the region. I know one immigrant family who settled in Killara simply because of the local public school. They couldn’t afford private education, but they had done their research. Determined parents are rallying around high-performing schools that are still more sought-after. In the UK, parents pay a premium to buy from a preferred area. As demand increases, basins shrink. Public schools are supposed to be open to everyone. In reality, access to the best depends on where you can afford to live. John Kempler, Rose Bay

Psychopathy Corp.

A few years ago, an excellent documentary titled Company He was touring. One particularly scary point was testing the behavior of companies against BM’s psychopathy traits and concluding that companies typically behave like psychopaths. Read Caitlin Fitzsimmons’ article (“How AI’s Climate lies are wreaking havoc,” March 29) and especially Dr. Reading Jeremy Walker’s presentation details…surely it’s time to stop corporations before they destroy the planet in their obscene pursuit of profit. Wayne Duncombe, Lilyfield

Electric dreams become reality

Last Sunday’s “5 minutes with Fitz” really fits the bill, the electric bill (“Pedal to renewables to end this crisis,” March 29). As long-time energy expert Professor Ty Christopher points out, Australia needs to accelerate the shift towards renewable energy sources if we are to improve our energy security. We are already heading in the right direction. In the last quarter of 2025, Australia’s energy supply from wind, solar and battery storage reached a milestone of over 50 per cent, which is cheaper. Unfortunately, the companies that control our energy production also control wholesale prices. This is what affects our electricity bills. Our country has plenty of wind and sunlight in terms of solar and wind energy. We must look for ways to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. I call on both sides of politics to seriously consider the electrification of our transport and energy supply.
Anne O’Hara, Wanniassa (ACT)

Head shot effects

Messenger of the Sun The article on children avoiding contact sports noted that the evidence linking repeated head trauma to long-term neurological conditions is “growing and sometimes conflicting” (“Injury affecting one in seven children parents don’t know how to deal with,” March 29). It’s not contradictory, and it’s misleading to say so. The evidence is solid. When I was a medical student in the 70s, I was taught about dementia in boxers. We have known about repetitive head trauma and chronic traumatic encephalopathy in football players for over 20 years. NFL players in America have settled a multibillion-dollar claim, and there’s currently a major AFL class action in Australia. Children’s brains are more sensitive, and repeated concussive head trauma from contact sports as a child will contribute to risk later in life; Therefore, parents’ fears are quite justified. John Frith, Paddington

Adoption changes

Correspondence about forced adoptions brought back more optimistic memories of that period (“I was drugged and terrified, I heard little screams in the distance. The nurses had taken my baby away,” March 22). In the early 1970s I was a junior doctor working in the obstetrics department of the former Royal Newcastle Hospital. The hospital had a special maternity service for young, unmarried pregnant women. It was the only non-religious service in the state, had its own social workers, and had no pressure on patients to keep their babies at home or put them up for adoption. It was the social norms of the time that determined their decisions. Interestingly, most of the women who had their babies adopted returned within 12 months, became pregnant again, and often had the same partner become pregnant, in which case they gave birth to their baby. How times have changed – thank goodness. Dr Craig Lilienthal, Wollstonecraft

Catch the jackpot

Jacqueline Maley points out that the number of US billionaires has tripled since 2010 (“Being ultra-rich isn’t as fun as you think,” March 29). In Australia, this increase was more than 14-fold; From 13 in 2010 to 188 last year. Our systems, it seems, are much more conducive to amassing extreme wealth than the so-called land of opportunity. Lesley Walker, Northcote (Vic)

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