The Marine Corps is removing the word ‘man’ from 19 job titles in a continuing effort toward inclusion.
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus called for these changes in the wake of women’s admission into combat roles in January. Mabus stated in a letter to Marine Commandant Gen. Robert Neller in January that he should “Review the position titles throughout the Marine Corps and ensure that they are gender-integrated as well, removing ‘man’ from the titles.”
The reasoning is that since ranks are no longer filled exclusively with men, the corresponding term should apply to both genders.
Now, the word "Marine" will replace the word ‘man’ in most cases. For instance, instead of ‘basic infantry man’ the term will be "basic infantry Marine." Other titles will be replaced with gender neutral terms such as "gunner," "specialist" or "chief."
There has been some pushback from the measure. Critics claim the measure is bowing to political correctness, pointing out that the measure is an unnecessary change and is simply there to accommodate sensitivities which are not appropriate for a combat environment anyway.