A growing number of women on LinkedIn are experimenting with male identities on the platform, claiming it dramatically boosts the visibility of their posts and engagement—a move they say exposes potential gender bias in the algorithm.
Last month, female users began changing their profiles to male, swapping names and pronouns, and even using AI to rewrite posts with more “alpha” language. Some added a humorous touch by uploading profile photos featuring stick-on mustaches.
The experiment appears to pay off. London-based entrepreneur Jo Dalton reported that after changing her pronouns, her reach soared by 244%, with once-quiet comment sections now buzzing with activity. Similarly, a female AFP reporter noted that posts spiked in impressions after changing her profile to male.
Malin Frithiofsson, CEO of Sweden-based Daya Ventures, said the trend highlights longstanding “gendered discrepancies” on LinkedIn. “We’re at a point where women are swapping names, photos, and bios to emulate a man’s professional persona—and their reach skyrockets,” she said.
LinkedIn, however, denies that its algorithms are inherently biased by gender. “Our algorithms do not use gender as a ranking signal, and changing gender on your profile does not affect how your content appears in search or feed,” a spokesperson told AFP.
Despite the company’s explanation, women seeing their engagement spike are calling for greater transparency in how the platform decides which posts are promoted, citing the potential influence of cultural norms, data reinforcement loops, and the “professional voice” expected in content.
Some users have quantified the impact. Britain-based journalist Rosie Taylor reported that pretending to be male for a week led to a 161% increase in newsletter visitors and an 86% jump in new subscriptions. “Who knows how much more successful I might have been if the algorithm had thought I was a man from the start?” she said.
