According to a Daily Express article, the chief of the U.K. Army is thinking about doing away with traditional military monikers like “Rifleman” or “Guardsman” because they are “too masculine.”
General Sir Patrick Sanders is looking for alternatives to the customary military titles after hearing from female troops that the titles are “exclusionary.” Through the use of contemporary titles in place of outdated ones, it is hoped to embrace gender neutrality and develop a more “inclusive” armed forces.
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If Sanders decides to eliminate “masculine” titles in the army, the decision may have repercussions for the whole U.K. armed services. The U.S. Navy could be required to drop its own “gendered” designations like “midshipman” or “seaman.”
The Royal Air Force made progress toward gender equality by switching the designation “aircraftsman” to “air specialist” last year, which eliminated gendered terms from the service. Advocates and a few military personnel are asking other branches to implement comparable procedures.
“If you want to tap into people’s potential, people have to feel they can be themselves,” During a recent podcast interview, General Sanders remarked. He responded when questioned if the use of gendered words is “exclusionary” of female troops. “We are having precisely these conversations.”
“When I sat down with the Army Servicewomen’s Network the other day I heard two things; A female section commander in a Rifles battalion said to me ‘don’t you dare take this rank away from me, because I am proud to be a Rifleman, that’s my rank as much as it is yours,” Sanders said. “But I also hear from a lot of women [that] these are the small things which exclude. There is no getting away from it, Rifleman and Guardsman are masculine appointments and titles.”
He also conjectured that female troops who reject gender neutral ranks do so primarily out of concern for “reprisals.”
“Are they just saying that because they don’t want to rock the boat? They don’t want to be seen to be the ones to unpick it? It is something we need to think really, really carefully,” he said.
The official abolition of “gendered” titles has not been accepted by the major branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, despite continuous attempts within that organization.
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Last Fall, cadets in the Air Force were told to speak in a “gender inclusive” manner and to avoid using phrases like “boyfriend/girlfriend” or “you guys.” According to a New York Post story, substitutes included “team,” “squaddies,” and even “ya’ll.”
