Are your professional networking followers viewing you as a industry expert? Do numerous commenters praising your insights on growing your venture? Do recruiters reaching out to explore opportunities?
Should that not be the case, the reason might be your gender.
The Experiment: Changing Gender Identity to achieve Increased Reach
Numerous female professionals joined an organized professional network test this week after viral posts indicated that changing their gender to "man" enhanced their platform visibility.
Other testers modified their professional summaries to incorporate what they called "masculine-oriented" terminology - adding action-focused professional jargon like "propel", "revolutionize" and "expedite". Based on reports, their exposure similarly increased.
Systemic Preference Concerns Brought Up
The engagement increase has caused some to wonder whether a built-in sexism in LinkedIn's algorithm prioritizes male users who use online business jargon.
Similar to most major social media platforms, LinkedIn employs an algorithm to determine which posts appear to which members - boosting some while reducing others.
Company Statement
In a recent blog post, LinkedIn acknowledged the phenomenon but stated it does not consider "demographic information" when determining content distribution. Rather, the company explained that "numerous factors" affect how posts perform.
Changing gender on your profile does not affect how your content appears in results or timelines.
Individual Results
Simone Bonnett, who changed her pronouns to "male pronouns" and her name to "Simon E", reported remarkable outcomes.
"The numbers I'm seeing show a sixteen-fold rise in profile views and a thirteen-fold jump in content views," she noted.
Another professional, a communications strategist, began experimenting after observing her reach decrease significantly.
The Method
- Initially, she modified her gender to "man"
- Subsequently, she used AI tools to rewrite her professional summary using "masculine-oriented" wording
- Finally, she repurposed old posts with similar "agentic" style
The outcome was instantaneous: a more than fourfold rise in reach within seven days.
The Negative Aspect
Despite the success, Cornish voiced dissatisfaction with the method.
"Before, my content were softer - concise and clever, but also friendly and relatable," she explained. "Currently, the masculine version was assertive and self-assured - like a white male being overly confident."
She discontinued the experiment after one week, stating "Each day I continued, and outcomes improved, I became angrier."
Varying Outcomes
Some testers encountered favorable results. One writer who changed both her profile gender to "male" and her ethnicity to "Caucasian" reported a decrease in visibility and engagement.
"We understand there's algorithmic bias, but it's very challenging to understand how it functions in particular situations or the reasons behind it," she commented.
Broader Implications
These tests coincide with continuing conversations about LinkedIn's unique role as both a professional network and social space.
Recent changes in the past few months have reportedly caused women professionals experiencing markedly lower exposure, resulting in unofficial tests where the same content by men and women received vastly different audience engagement.
Technical Explanation
According to LinkedIn, the network uses artificial intelligence to classify and spread posts based on various elements, including post content and the user's professional identity.
The company states it frequently assesses its systems, including "examinations of gender-related disparities."
A spokesperson proposed that recent declines in some users' reach might stem from increased competition due to additional posts on the platform.
Changing Landscape
As one participant noted, "masculine-oriented language" appears to be growing on the network.
"People often view LinkedIn as more businesslike and polished," she commented. "This is evolving. It's becoming increasingly competitive and less controlled."
