page_title: United States Marine Corps
section_title: Women
hierarchical_section_title: United States Marine Corps / Personnel / Women
caption_attribution_description: English: Pfc. Cristina Fuentes Montenegro, 25, one of the first three female Marine graduates from the School of Infantry-East's Infantry Training Battalion course, and native of Coral Springs, Fla., left, and Pfc. Julia Carroll, 18, one of the first three female Marine graduates from the School of Infantry-East's Infantry Training Battalion course, and native of Idaho Falls, Idaho, stand at the position of parade rest during the graduation of Delta Company, Infantry Training Battalion, School of Infantry-East at Camp Geiger, N.C. Nov. 21. The graduation of 227 students marked the first class of Marines to include females. The class was part of the Marine Corps' research effort toward integrating women into ground-combat military occupational specialties. (Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Justin A. Rodriguez/Released)
context_page_description: The United States Marine Corps, also referred to as the United States Marines, is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations with the United States Navy as well as the Army and Air Force. The U.S. Marine Corps is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States.
  The Marine Corps has been a component of the U.S. Department of the Navy since 30 June 1834, working closely with naval forces. The USMC operates installations on land and aboard sea-going amphibious warfare ships around the world. Additionally, several of the Marines' tactical aviation squadrons, primarily Marine Fighter Attack squadrons, are also embedded in Navy carrier air wings and operate from the aircraft carriers.
  The history of the Marine Corps began when two battalions of Continental Marines were formed on 10 November 1775 in Philadelphia as a service branch of infantry troops capable of fighting both at sea and on shore. In the Pacific theater of World War II the Corps took the lead in a massive campaign of amphibious warfare, advancing from island to island.
context_section_description: Women have served in the United States Marine Corps since 1918. The first woman to have enlisted was Opha May Johnson (1878–1955). In January 2017, three women joined an infantry battalion at Camp Lejeune, NC. Women had not served as infantry Marines prior to this. In 2017, the Marines released a recruitment advertisement that focused on women for the first time. As of October 2019, female Marines make up 7.8% of the force.
caption: Two of the first female graduates of the School of Infantry-East's Infantry Training Battalion course, 2013
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