🔗 Share this article

Are your LinkedIn connections recognizing you as a industry expert? Do numerous respondents praising your advice on growing your business? Do recruiters reaching out to discuss collaborations?

If not, the explanation could be your gender.

The Experiment: Modifying Gender Identity to achieve Increased Reach

Dozens of female professionals joined a collective professional network test recently following popular discussions indicated that switching their gender to "male" enhanced their platform visibility.

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

Algorithmic Bias Concerns Raised

The improved metrics has caused some to wonder whether an inherent gender bias in the platform's system prioritizes male users who use online business jargon.

Like most major social media platforms, LinkedIn utilizes a computerized system to decide which posts are shown to which users - boosting some while suppressing others.

Company Statement

In a recent company announcement, LinkedIn recognized the phenomenon but claimed it does not consider "demographic information" when determining post visibility. Instead, the company explained that "hundreds of signals" affect how posts perform.

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

Personal Experiences

A social media consultant, who modified her pronouns to "he/him" and her name to "Simon E", reported remarkable results.

"The numbers I'm seeing indicate a sixteen-fold rise in profile views and a 1,300% increase in content views," she commented.

Megan Cornish, a communications strategist, started testing after noticing her audience decline significantly.

The Method

• First, she modified her profile gender to "male"
• Then, she used AI tools to rewrite her professional summary using "male-coded" wording
• Finally, she repurposed old posts with comparable "agentic" style

The outcome was instantaneous: a more than fourfold rise in reach within one week.

The Downside

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

"Previously, my posts were more personal - brief and insightful, but also warm and relatable," she stated. "Currently, the masculine version was assertive and self-assured - similar to a white male swaggering around."

She abandoned the experiment after seven days, saying "Every day I persisted, and outcomes improved, I became angrier."

Varying Outcomes

Not all participants encountered favorable outcomes. Cass Cooper who modified both her gender to "man" and her race to "Caucasian" described a reduction in visibility and engagement.

"We understand there's algorithmic bias, but it's extremely difficult to understand how it functions in particular situations or the reasons behind it," she remarked.

Broader Implications

These tests 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 women professionals experiencing markedly lower exposure, leading to unofficial tests where the same posts by men and women received vastly different audience engagement.

System Details

Per LinkedIn, the network uses AI systems to categorize and distribute content based on various elements, including post content and the member's career profile.

The company states it regularly evaluates its systems, including "examinations of gender-related disparities."

A spokesperson suggested that current reductions 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 network.

"People often view LinkedIn as more businesslike and polished," she remarked. "This is evolving. It's turning into increasingly competitive and less controlled."