The United States Marine Corps is making 19 job titles gender neutral. An official announcement about the change is expected to be made in the next few days.
In most cases, the word “man” will be replaced by “Marine.” Titles in which the word does not directly describe the person—like “manpower officer”—will not be changed, reports the Marine Corps Times. Other titles, like “rifleman” and “mortarman” will likely remain unchanged because they ”are steeped in Marine Corps history and ethos,” according to an anonymous Marine official quoted by the Times. A total of 33 titles were reviewed and considered for modification.
Here are the job titles that have been changed, according to a list obtained by the Washington Post:
| Current title | New title |
|---|---|
| basic infantryman | basic infantry marine |
| riverine assault craft crewman | riverine assault craft marine |
| light armor vehicle crewman | light armor vehicle marine |
| reconnaissance man (PMOS) | reconnaissance marine |
| recon man parachute qual (NMOS) | recon marine parachute qual (NMOS) |
| recon man cmbt diver qual (NMOS) | recon marine cmbt diver qual (NMOS) |
| recon man parachute and combat div | recon marine parachute and combat div |
| antitank missileman | antitank missile gunner |
| basic field artillery man | basic field artillery marine |
| field artillery fire control man | field artillery fire control marine |
| fld Artillery sensor spt man | fld artillery sensor spt marine |
| field artillery operations man | field artillery operations chief |
| fire support man | fire support marine |
| basic engr, const and equip man | basic engr, const and equip marine |
| basic tank and aslt amphib crewman | basic tank and aslt amphib marine |
| M1A1 Tank crewman | armor marine |
| AAV Crewman (PMOS) | AAV marine |
| amphib combat veh (ACV) crewman | ACV marine |
A USMC spokesperson confirmed the changes to Quartz.
These tweaks come after the US military decided to open all combat jobs for women last year. This June, the US Senate passed a bill with overwhelming majority that will require women to register for the draft. Meanwhile, the Navy is also reviewing several rank titles but has not yet reached a decision.
The number of women in the Marine Corps has been steadily rising since 1995. Women make up about 7% of all Marines, according to 2014 statistics from the Department of Defense. But while the title changes may reflect the changing face of the Marine Corps, they haven’t been received with good grace by all. ”If your feelings are hurt from being called an infantryman, maybe you have no business being one,” commented one disgruntled reader on the Marine Corps Times story.