🔗 Share this article

Are your LinkedIn connections recognizing you as a thought leader? Are hordes of commenters applauding your insights on expanding your venture? Do recruiters reaching out to explore collaborations?

If not, the explanation might be your gender.

The Test: Changing Gender Identity for Better Visibility

Numerous female professionals joined an organized professional network test recently after viral posts indicated that changing their gender to "male" boosted their network presence.

Some participants modified their profiles to incorporate what they termed "masculine-oriented" language - adding action-focused professional jargon like "drive", "revolutionize" and "expedite". Anecdotally, their visibility similarly increased.

Algorithmic Bias Concerns Raised

The engagement increase has led some to speculate whether an inherent sexism in LinkedIn's algorithm prioritizes men who use professional networking terminology.

Similar to most major networking sites, LinkedIn utilizes a computerized system to decide which content are shown to which users - boosting some while reducing others.

Company Statement

In a recent blog post, LinkedIn acknowledged the phenomenon but stated it does not consider "personal characteristics" when determining post visibility. Instead, the company mentioned that "numerous factors" affect how posts are received.

Changing gender on your profile does not affect how your content appears in search or feed.

Personal Experiences

A social media consultant, who changed her pronouns to "he/him" and her profile name to "a masculine version", described extraordinary outcomes.

"The numbers I'm seeing indicate a sixteen-fold rise in visitor traffic and a thirteen-fold jump in impressions," she noted.

Megan Cornish, a marketing expert, began experimenting after observing her audience decline substantially.

The Method

• First, she modified her profile gender to "man"
• Subsequently, she used artificial intelligence to rewrite her profile using "male-coded" language
• Lastly, she repurposed previous content with similar "assertive" style

The result was instantaneous: a more than fourfold rise in reach within seven days.

The Negative Aspect

Despite the positive results, Cornish voiced dissatisfaction with the approach.

"Before, my posts were more personal - concise and insightful, but also warm and human," she explained. "Now, the masculine version was assertive and confident - like a Caucasian man swaggering around."

She abandoned the test after one week, saying "Every day I persisted, and results improved, I became angrier."

Varying Outcomes

Not all testers experienced favorable results. One writer who modified both her profile gender to "man" and her race to "white" reported a decrease in visibility and engagement.

"We know there's systemic preference, but it's extremely difficult to comprehend how it functions in particular situations or the reasons behind it," she commented.

Wider Consequences

These tests coincide with continuing conversations about LinkedIn's distinctive role as both a business platform and social space.

Recent changes in the past few months have reportedly resulted in female creators experiencing markedly lower exposure, resulting in informal experiments where the same content by men and women received dramatically unequal audience engagement.

System Details

Per LinkedIn, the platform uses artificial intelligence to categorize and distribute content based on various elements, including what's shared and the user's professional identity.

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

A spokesperson suggested that recent declines in some users' reach might originate from higher volume due to additional posts on the network.

Evolving Environment

As one participant observed, "masculine-oriented language" appears to be growing on the platform.

"People often view LinkedIn as more professional and refined," she remarked. "That's changing. It's becoming increasingly competitive and unpredictable."