Do your LinkedIn followers viewing you as a industry expert? Are hordes of commenters praising your insights on growing your business? Are headhunters reaching out to explore collaborations?
If not, the reason might be that you're not male.
The Experiment: Changing Gender Identity to achieve Better Visibility
Numerous women participated in an organized LinkedIn experiment recently after popular discussions indicated that switching their gender to "male" boosted their network presence.
Some participants rewrote their professional summaries to incorporate what they termed "masculine-oriented" terminology - adding action-focused business buzzwords like "drive", "transform" and "expedite". Anecdotally, their exposure also improved.
Systemic Preference Concerns Brought Up
The improved metrics has led some to speculate whether an inherent sexism in LinkedIn's algorithm favors male users who employ online business jargon.
Similar to most major networking sites, LinkedIn utilizes a computerized system to decide which posts are shown to which users - promoting some while reducing others.
Company Statement
Through a blog post, LinkedIn recognized the trend but claimed it does not consider "demographic information" when determining post visibility. Instead, the company mentioned that "numerous factors" affect how content are received.
Modifying profile gender on your profile does not influence how your posts appears in search or feed.
Individual Results
A social media consultant, who changed her gender identifiers to "male pronouns" and her profile name to "Simon E", described extraordinary results.
"The statistics I'm seeing indicate a sixteen-fold rise in profile views and a 1,300% increase in content views," she commented.
Another professional, a communications strategist, started testing after observing her audience decline significantly.
The Method
- Initially, she modified her gender to "man"
- Then, she used artificial intelligence to rephrase her professional summary using "male-coded" wording
- Finally, she repurposed previous content with comparable "agentic" language
The outcome was immediate: a more than fourfold rise in reach within seven days.
The Downside
Although the positive results, Cornish voiced unhappiness with the approach.
"Previously, my posts were more personal - concise and insightful, but also warm and human," she explained. "Now, the masculine version was assertive and confident - similar to a white male swaggering around."
She discontinued the experiment after seven days, stating "Each day I continued, and outcomes improved, I became more frustrated."
Mixed Results
Some participants encountered favorable outcomes. One writer who changed both her gender to "man" and her race to "white" reported a decrease in reach and interaction.
"We know there's algorithmic bias, but it's very challenging to comprehend how it functions in particular situations or why," she remarked.
Broader Implications
These experiments coincide with ongoing discussions about LinkedIn's unique position as both a professional network and community site.
Recent changes in the past few months have reportedly caused female creators experiencing markedly lower visibility, resulting in informal experiments where identical content by men and women received vastly different reach.
Technical Explanation
According to LinkedIn, the network uses artificial intelligence to classify and spread content 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 inequalities based on gender."
Company representative proposed that current reductions in certain members' visibility might originate from higher volume due to more content on the network.
Evolving Environment
According to a tester observed, "masculine-oriented language" appears to be increasing on the platform.
"People often view LinkedIn as more businesslike and refined," she remarked. "That's changing. It's becoming increasingly competitive and unpredictable."
