{"id":10754,"date":"2026-04-14T19:02:31","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T19:02:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=10754"},"modified":"2026-04-14T19:02:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T19:02:31","slug":"theres-a-curious-phenomenon-happening-in-the-marketing-industry-is-it-a-sign-of-masculinization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=10754","title":{"rendered":"There\u2019s a curious phenomenon happening in the marketing industry. Is it a sign of \u2018masculinization\u2019?"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Engineering is one of the most male-dominated workforces in America. As of 2023<\/a>, only 16% of all engineers in the U.S. were women. Marketing, meanwhile, is an industry led by women: Though it has a more even split, the field still employs more women than men, with 60% of marketing roles in the U.S. being held by women<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But a phenomenon in new job listings has some experts wondering if marketing is undergoing a reinvention\u2014one designed to make it a more enticing field for men.<\/p>\n

The discourse began when brand consultant Miranda Shanahan<\/a> pointed out a trend she\u2019s noticed on LinkedIn. \u201cI\u2019m convinced marketing jobs are being rebranded so that boys can do it too,\u201d Shanahan said in a video<\/a> that\u2019s garnered 1 million views on TikTok.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are suddenly seeing the same old marketing roles being given new, technical-coded names,\u201d she said, referencing open positions on LinkedIn with titles like \u201csenior branding engineer,\u201d \u201cmarketing engineer,\u201d and \u201cGTM (or go-to-market) engineer.\u201d<\/p>\n

What are these jobs actually seeking from applicants? Quizlet\u2019s listing for a \u201cUGC (or user-generated content) engineer\u201d<\/a> mentions leading a team of creators, directing content strategy, and having a \u201cdeep understanding of viral content and trends,\u201d all responsibilities typically associated with marketing roles more than engineering roles.<\/p>\n

Baseten\u2019s \u201ccontent engineer\u201d role<\/a> is noted to be \u201ca primarily technical writing position.\u201d Meanwhile, Stable\u2019s first-ever \u201cgrowth engineer\u201d<\/a> will be responsible for data analysis, targeted outreach, and managing its marketing assets. Many of these roles also have software engineering and web design components.<\/p>\n

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@mirandadoesbrands<\/a> <\/p>\n

Why are marketing jobs are being rebranded using masculinised, technical language and how does this compare to what happened with software engineering in the 80a? #marketing<\/a> #marketingcareers<\/a> #ai<\/a> <\/p>\n

\u266c original sound – Miranda Shanahan<\/a> <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Is this history repeating itself?<\/h2>\n

Shanahan said the situation reminded her of what happened to programming in the mid-20th century. What began as a woman-dominated field underwent a cultural rebrand after the invention of the personal computer, with fewer women pursuing computer science in the years that followed.<\/p>\n

\u201cSoftware was feminized when it was considered clerical, masculinized when it became high status,\u201d Shanahan explained. \u201cMarketing was feminized when it was \u2018making things pretty.\u2019 Now, marketing is being masculinized because AI has made it so anyone can code, and now the biggest problem is distribution.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis technical language is being applied to earn respect with leadership, without considering what that means for who those roles might go to and who feels qualified to apply,\u201d she concluded.<\/p>\n

Of course, jobs don\u2019t have genders, and there are already many men in marketing and many women in engineering.<\/p>\n

But given the fields\u2019 notable gender gaps, an apparent rebrand that might make marketing appear \u201cmanlier\u201d is prompting examination.<\/p>\n

‘So backwards’: Social media is split on the take<\/h2>\n

The video quickly spread across social media. Many users on X echoed Shanahan\u2019s sentiment and added their own evidence. \u201cSomeone at ramp once told me \u2018growth is marketing when men do it,\u2019\u201d one user recalled<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to find jobs that are actually in my field,\u201d another user lamented<\/a>, \u201cbecause they\u2019ve started using tech buzzwords for job descriptions to make men feel like they\u2019re doing something when it\u2019s really just a role that would previously be like a secretary or something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Journalist Taylor Lorenz also cosigned Shanahan\u2019s take. \u201cThey\u2019re calling social media managers \u2018growth engineers\u2019 now,\u201d Lorenz wrote<\/a>. \u201cShe\u2019s 100% spot on with this analysis.\u201d<\/p>\n

But others said the video had things all wrong. One dissenter was Julia Pintar, cofounder of UGC company Playkit<\/a>, who said she coined the term UGC engineer and that Shanahan\u2019s take is \u201cso backwards.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe call it this because distribution is integral to a company\u2019s success – it\u2019s a big time job,\u201d Pintar posted<\/a>. \u201cThe nomenclature gives these roles the integrity that they deserve – we can\u2019t win the gender war if we refuse to be equal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason why job titles have changed is not because men now do the jobs women were doing & therefore [it’s] called \u2018engineering\u2019 now,\u201d another user argued<\/a>, pointing out that many start-ups now incorporate coding into their marketing workflows. \u201cThat kind of work has traditionally been called engineering, so the title has simply changed to reflect the evolution of the role itself.\u201d<\/p>\n