Marine Corps Moving to Gender Neutral Job Titles

The Marine Corps is eliminating the job title “basic infantryman” along with 18 others and replacing them with terms that are gender neutral.

Others titles, including “rifleman” and “mortarman,” will remain the same, due to their historical and cultural significance for Marines.

The service plans to replace 19 of its military occupational specialty titles, the Marine Corps Times reported Tuesday, seven months after Navy Secretary Ray Mabus ordered the Marine Corps to conduct a review of all job titles to ensure gender neutrality.

For most of the 19 terms that will be changed, the word “Marine” will replace the word “man.” Basic infantryman, for instance, will become Basic infantry Marine, and “reconnaissance man” will become “reconnaissance marine,” according to a list of the 33 titles reviewed that was obtained by the Marine Corps Times.

The service is expected to officially announce the changes within the coming days.