🔗 Share this article

Do your LinkedIn followers recognizing you as a thought leader? Are hordes of respondents applauding your insights on expanding your venture? Do recruiters making contact to discuss opportunities?

Should that not be the case, the reason might be that you're not male.

The Test: Changing Gender Identity to achieve Better Visibility

Numerous female professionals participated in a collective LinkedIn experiment this week following popular discussions suggested that switching their profile gender to "man" boosted their platform visibility.

Some participants rewrote their profiles to include what they called "masculine-oriented" language - adding action-focused business buzzwords like "drive", "revolutionize" and "accelerate". Anecdotally, their exposure also improved.

Algorithmic Bias Concerns Brought Up

The improved metrics has caused some to wonder whether a built-in sexism in LinkedIn's algorithm favors male users who employ professional networking terminology.

Similar to many large networking sites, LinkedIn employs a computerized system to decide which content appear to which users - boosting some while reducing others.

Platform Response

In a recent company announcement, LinkedIn recognized the phenomenon but claimed it does not factor in "personal characteristics" when determining post visibility. Instead, the company mentioned that "hundreds of signals" affect how posts are received.

Changing gender on your profile does not affect how your content appears in results or timelines.

Individual Results

A social media consultant, who changed her gender identifiers to "he/him" and her name to "a masculine version", described remarkable results.

"The statistics I'm seeing show a 1,600% increase in visitor traffic and a 1,300% increase in impressions," she commented.

Megan Cornish, a communications strategist, began experimenting after noticing her audience decline significantly.

The Process

• First, she changed her profile gender to "man"
• Then, she used AI tools to rephrase her professional summary using "male-coded" wording
• Lastly, she repurposed previous content with comparable "agentic" style

The result was instantaneous: a 415% increase in visibility within seven days.

The Negative Aspect

Although the success, Cornish voiced dissatisfaction with the method.

"Before, my content were softer - brief and insightful, but also friendly and human," she stated. "Currently, the bro-coded version was assertive and confident - similar to a white male swaggering around."

She abandoned the test after seven days, saying "Every day I persisted, and results got better, I became more frustrated."

Mixed Results

Some participants experienced favorable outcomes. One writer who modified both her profile gender to "male" and her race to "white" reported a reduction in visibility and interaction.

"We understand there's systemic preference, but it's extremely difficult to understand how it functions in particular situations or why," she commented.

Broader Implications

These tests occur alongside ongoing conversations about LinkedIn's distinctive position as both a professional network and social space.

Platform modifications in the past few months have apparently caused women professionals experiencing significantly reduced visibility, leading to unofficial tests where identical content by men and women received vastly different audience engagement.

System Details

Per LinkedIn, the network uses artificial intelligence to classify and distribute posts based on multiple factors, including what's shared and the member's career profile.

The company claims it regularly evaluates its systems, including "checks for gender-related disparities."

A spokesperson suggested that current reductions in some users' reach might stem from higher volume due to additional posts on the network.

Evolving Environment

As one participant noted, "bro-coding" appears to be growing on the network.

"People often view LinkedIn as more businesslike and polished," she remarked. "This is evolving. It's becoming increasingly aggressive and unpredictable."