Some female professionals adopted male aliases, swapped pronouns, and even used AI to rewrite posts, claiming their LinkedIn engagement skyrocketed.
A growing number of women on LinkedIn are flipping their gender settings to “male” and even posting photos with fake mustaches in a bold challenge to what they describe as algorithmic gender bias on the platform.
Last month, female users began reporting that adopting a male identity dramatically increased their visibility, sparking a chain reaction.
Women took on male aliases — Simone became Simon — swapped their pronouns for he/him, and even used AI to rewrite old posts with testosterone-laden language to craft an “alpha persona.” To add a touch of humor, some uploaded profile photos featuring stick-on mustaches.
The result? Many women reported a surge in engagement, with previously quiet comment sections buzzing with activity.
“I changed my pronouns and accidentally broke my own LinkedIn engagement records,” said London-based entrepreneur Jo Dalton, noting a 244% boost in reach.
A female AFP reporter who changed her gender setting also saw a spike in post impressions compared to the previous week.
Malin Frithiofsson, CEO of Sweden-based Daya Ventures, explained that the experiment highlights “gendered discrepancies” many professional women experience.
LinkedIn, however, rejected claims of built-in sexism, saying, “Our algorithms do not use gender as a ranking signal, and changing gender on your profile does not affect content visibility.”
Despite this, women seeing increased engagement are calling for greater transparency on how the platform’s opaque algorithms elevate some profiles over others.
Some, like UK journalist Rosie Taylor, reported spikes in newsletter visitors and subscriptions after appearing as a “man” for just one week.
The experiment raises questions about how cultural norms, data inputs, and algorithmic reinforcement can shape professional visibility online — and whether gender plays a hidden role.