🔗 Share this article

Do your LinkedIn connections viewing you as a industry expert? Are hordes of respondents applauding your advice on expanding your business? Are headhunters making contact to discuss opportunities?

Should that not be the case, the reason could be that you're not male.

The Test: Changing Profile Gender to achieve Better Visibility

Numerous women participated in a collective professional network test recently after popular discussions suggested that switching their gender to "male" enhanced their platform visibility.

Some participants modified their profiles to include what they called "masculine-oriented" language - adding action-focused professional jargon like "propel", "transform" and "accelerate". Based on reports, their visibility similarly increased.

Algorithmic Bias Questions Raised

The improved metrics has caused some to wonder whether a built-in gender bias in the platform's system favors male users who use online business jargon.

Similar to most major networking sites, LinkedIn utilizes an algorithm to determine which content are shown to which members - promoting some while suppressing others.

Company Statement

Through a blog post, LinkedIn recognized the trend but claimed it does not consider "demographic information" when deciding content distribution. Rather, the company explained that "hundreds of signals" influence how content perform.

Changing gender in your settings does not influence how your posts appears in results or timelines.

Individual Results

Simone Bonnett, who changed her gender identifiers to "he/him" and her name to "a masculine version", reported remarkable outcomes.

"The numbers I'm seeing indicate a 1,600% increase in visitor traffic and a 1,300% increase in content views," she commented.

Megan Cornish, a communications strategist, began experimenting after observing her audience decline significantly.

The Method

• Initially, she changed her gender to "male"
• Then, she used artificial intelligence to rephrase her profile using "male-coded" language
• Lastly, she repurposed old posts with similar "assertive" style

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

The Negative Aspect

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

"Previously, my content were more personal - brief and insightful, but also friendly and human," she explained. "Currently, the bro-coded version was forceful and self-assured - similar to a white male being overly confident."

She abandoned the experiment after one week, saying "Every day I continued, and outcomes got better, I became angrier."

Mixed Results

Some participants encountered favorable results. Cass Cooper who changed both her gender to "man" and her ethnicity to "white" described a reduction in visibility and interaction.

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

Broader Implications

These experiments coincide with ongoing discussions about LinkedIn's distinctive role as both a professional network and social space.

Platform modifications in recent months have reportedly caused women professionals experiencing significantly reduced exposure, resulting in informal experiments where identical content by men and women received vastly different reach.

Technical Explanation

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

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

A spokesperson suggested that recent declines in certain members' visibility might stem from higher volume due to more content on the platform.

Evolving Environment

According to a tester observed, "masculine-oriented language" 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."