Women, information technology and ‘waves of optimism’: Australian evidence on ‘mixed‐skill’ jobs

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.