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Women, information technology and ‘waves of optimism’: Australian evidence on ‘mixed‐skill’ jobs
Author(s) -
Roan Amanda,
Whitehouse Gillian
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
new technology, work and employment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.889
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1468-005X
pISSN - 0268-1072
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-005x.2007.00181.x
Subject(s) - optimism , interpersonal communication , essentialism , psychology , information technology , public relations , social psychology , sociology , political science , gender studies , law
Optimism about the increased engagement of women in information technology employment has been informed, in part, by essentialist ideas about the suitability for women of emerging jobs combining technical with interpersonal, artistic or other ‘non‐technical’ skills. Drawing on evidence from Australia, we highlight limitations to this brand of optimism, questioning the potential for women in mixed‐skill jobs in computing and multimedia organisations.