🔗 Share this article

Do your professional networking followers viewing you as a thought leader? Are hordes of respondents praising your advice on growing your venture? Are headhunters reaching out to explore collaborations?

If not, the explanation might be that you're not male.

The Test: Changing Profile Gender for Better Visibility

Dozens of women participated in a collective LinkedIn experiment this week following viral posts indicated that switching their gender to "male" boosted their platform visibility.

Some participants modified their professional summaries to include what they termed "masculine-oriented" language - inserting results-driven business buzzwords like "drive", "revolutionize" and "accelerate". Based on reports, their visibility similarly increased.

Systemic Preference Questions Raised

The improved metrics has led some to speculate whether an inherent sexism in LinkedIn's algorithm prioritizes men who employ online business jargon.

Like many large social media platforms, LinkedIn employs a computerized system to determine which content are shown to which members - promoting some while suppressing others.

Platform Response

Through a blog post, LinkedIn acknowledged the phenomenon but claimed it does not factor in "personal characteristics" when deciding post visibility. Instead, the company mentioned that "numerous factors" affect how posts perform.

Modifying profile gender in your settings does not affect how your content shows up in search or feed.

Individual Results

Simone Bonnett, who modified her pronouns to "he/him" and her profile name to "Simon E", described extraordinary results.

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

Another professional, a communications strategist, began experimenting after noticing her reach decrease significantly.

The Method

• Initially, she modified her profile gender to "male"
• Then, she used artificial intelligence to rewrite her professional summary using "male-coded" wording
• Finally, she recycled old posts with comparable "agentic" language

The outcome was instantaneous: a 415% increase in visibility within one week.

The Negative Aspect

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

"Before, my posts were softer - brief and insightful, but also friendly and relatable," she stated. "Now, the bro-coded version was forceful and self-assured - like a Caucasian man swaggering around."

She discontinued the experiment after seven days, stating "Each day I persisted, and results improved, I became more frustrated."

Varying Outcomes

Some testers experienced positive results. One writer who changed both her profile gender to "man" and her race to "white" reported a decrease in visibility and interaction.

"We know there's systemic preference, but it's very challenging to understand how it functions in particular situations or the reasons behind it," she remarked.

Broader Implications

These tests coincide with ongoing conversations about LinkedIn's unique role as both a business platform and community site.

Recent changes in recent months have apparently resulted in female creators experiencing markedly lower visibility, leading to unofficial tests where identical content by men and women received vastly different reach.

Technical Explanation

According to LinkedIn, the platform uses AI systems to classify and distribute content based on multiple factors, including what's shared and the user's professional identity.

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

Company representative suggested that recent declines in some users' reach might stem from higher volume due to more content on the network.

Changing Landscape

According to a tester observed, "bro-coding" appears to be growing on the platform.

"Users typically consider LinkedIn as more businesslike and refined," she remarked. "This is evolving. It's becoming increasingly aggressive and less controlled."