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Are your professional networking connections viewing you as a thought leader? Do numerous commenters praising your advice on expanding your business? Do recruiters making contact to discuss opportunities?

If not, the explanation could be your gender.

The Experiment: Modifying Profile Gender for Better Visibility

Dozens of female professionals joined an organized professional network test recently following popular discussions suggested that switching their profile gender to "man" boosted their network presence.

Other testers modified their profiles to include what they called "masculine-oriented" language - inserting results-driven professional jargon like "drive", "transform" and "expedite". Based on reports, their exposure similarly increased.

Algorithmic Bias Concerns Raised

The improved metrics has caused some to wonder whether a built-in sexism in LinkedIn's algorithm prioritizes male users who use professional networking terminology.

Like most major social media platforms, LinkedIn employs a computerized system to decide which posts appear to which members - promoting some while suppressing others.

Platform Response

In a recent blog post, LinkedIn recognized the phenomenon but stated it does not factor in "personal characteristics" when determining content distribution. Instead, the company mentioned that "hundreds of signals" affect how posts are received.

Modifying profile gender on your profile does not affect how your posts shows up in results or timelines.

Individual Results

Simone Bonnett, who changed her pronouns to "he/him" and her name to "Simon E", reported remarkable results.

"The statistics I'm seeing indicate a 1,600% increase in visitor traffic and a 1,300% increase in impressions," she noted.

Megan Cornish, a communications strategist, began experimenting after noticing her reach decrease significantly.

The Process

• First, she modified her gender to "male"
• Then, she used AI tools to rewrite her professional summary using "male-coded" language
• Lastly, she recycled previous content with comparable "agentic" style

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

The Downside

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

"Previously, my posts were more personal - concise and insightful, but also friendly and human," she explained. "Currently, the bro-coded version was forceful and confident - like a white male being overly confident."

She abandoned the experiment after one week, stating "Every day I persisted, and outcomes got better, I became more frustrated."

Mixed Results

Some participants encountered positive results. Cass Cooper who modified both her profile gender to "male" and her ethnicity to "Caucasian" described a reduction in reach and interaction.

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

Broader Implications

These tests coincide with continuing discussions about LinkedIn's unique role as both a professional network and community site.

Recent changes in the past few months have reportedly resulted in women professionals experiencing significantly reduced visibility, resulting in informal experiments where the same content by men and women received dramatically unequal reach.

System Details

Per LinkedIn, the platform uses AI systems to classify and spread content based on various elements, including what's shared and the user's professional identity.

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

A spokesperson suggested that current reductions in some users' reach might stem from increased competition due to more content on the platform.

Changing Landscape

According to a tester noted, "masculine-oriented language" appears to be increasing on the platform.

"People often view LinkedIn as more professional and refined," she remarked. "That's changing. It's turning into increasingly competitive and unpredictable."