There’s a curious phenomenon happening in the marketing industry. Is it a sign of ‘masculinization’? |
There’s a curious phenomenon happening in the marketing industry. Is it a sign of ‘masculinization’?
Job openings for ‘content engineers’ have the internet wondering why roles are suddenly being rebranded.
[Photo: tippapatt/Adobe Stock]
Engineering is one of the most male-dominated workforces in America. As of 2023, only 16% of 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. held by women.
But a phenomenon in new job listings has some experts wondering if marketing is undergoing a reinvention—one designed to make it a more enticing field for men.
The discourse began when brand consultant Miranda Shanahan pointed out a trend she’s noticed on LinkedIn. “I’m convinced marketing jobs are being rebranded so that boys can do it too,” Shanahan said in a video that’s garnered 1 million views on TikTok.
“We are suddenly seeing the same old marketing roles being given new, technical-coded names,” she said, referencing open positions on LinkedIn with titles like “senior branding engineer,” “marketing engineer,” and “GTM [go-to-market] engineer.”
What are these jobs actually seeking from applicants? Quizlet’s listing for a “UGC (user-generated content) engineer” mentions leading a team of creators, directing content strategy, and having a “deep understanding of viral content and trends”—responsibilities typically associated with marketing roles more so than engineering roles.
Baseten’s “content engineer” opening describes it as “a primarily technical writing position.” Meanwhile, Stable’s first-ever “growth engineer” 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.
Is this history repeating itself?
Shanahan said the situation reminded her of what happened to programming in the mid-20th century. What began as a female-dominated field underwent a cultural rebrand after the invention of the personal computer, with fewer women pursuing computer science in the years that followed.
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