Is being a female technical recruiter an advantage or a disadvantage?

No. People will take you seriously if you know what you are talking about. Start by asking non average tech questions? Most tech people think recruiters don't know technology regardless of gender

Over the past few years, I've noticed an up-tick in women technical recruiters. They're usually quite young (first or second job out of college), above-average attractive (with profile pictures that would fit in on a dating site), and most of them are not at all technical. Fellow male developers have received inquiries that could be interpreted as flirty. Would you be more or less likely to get a response from a candidate by being a woman? I don't know. I assume that these firms hiring these women are doing it because it works. Maybe the usually-male candidates are just more apt to respond to women? If so, count it as a bonus, but be careful with the overly-friendly communications. However, just like being in tech, you're going to have to earn  your "geek cred" with your candidates all over again, especially to differentiate yourself from the non-technical recruiters. Don't be afraid to blast it out there. Feature it prominently on all your profiles. Ask technical questions. Attend meet-ups and chat about technology afterwards. Make it clear that you do understand the subtle differences in the technologies that you're placing. Do that and you can have the best of all worlds. Good luck!

Neither. If you are technically proficient, have a strong performance record and large network of talent the company/hiring manager will not care. They only care about their position being filled and fast, and if you can do that no one will care about your gender.

I have been a technology recruiter for 15 years+. I did not come into this field with any technical background or recruiting experience. In looking for a new career I realized that I like to work with people. I was offered a position as an entry level tech recruiter and gave it a try. As is in the technology industry, recruiting ---especially for technology-- is a male dominated field. The way that I earned my stripes and began to be taken seriously was production. At that time, I worked for a staffing company. We had quotas and goals and it was very fast paced with lots of competition. I was able to excel for several reasons. I worked hard. I learned the technology to the best of my ability and could hold an intelligent conversation with a technologist. I learned the industry. I developed a niche. And most importantly I built relationships that I nurtured over time. In my time as a technology recruiter, I have worked on all sides of the industry--staffing agency, in house corporate recruiter, contract corporate recruiter, and I now have my own business where I pick and choose between contingency searches for multiple clients or strategic onsite engagements. It  has been a successful career for me in many ways. I have built a very good reputation in my niche and am often referred new business. I will tell you that from a sourcing and candidate perspective, technologists are hard to attract unless you have a great pitch and an even better opportunity. They get hundreds of calls and emails from (mostly unprofessional) recruiters every week and are in such high demand that they do not really need t work with recruiters. It is all about how you build relationships and approach people. It is about them, not you or your job that you are offering. Learn not only the technology (should be easy for you as you are a developer) but the psychology of what is important to an engineer. Learn your market and try to find a niche.