All of my Google-Fu is still getting me confused. So, I thought this would be a great place to try and understand from people who are more experienced with gender equality. I like to learn.

So, are the terms kind of synonyms? Is one referring to a larger community? Is it the source of the opinion and the intended meaning that matters? The best way to understand what piqued my curiosity is by reading a short convo below:

Motivation for research:

My partner is disappointed that a male staff member gathered her pickup order from a grocery store. I was curious and asked why my partner mentioned that she dislikes when males assemble orders. She said it's because they are more likely to make mistakes and/or poor substitutions.

Being unfamiliar with this, I asked if she's had that kind of personal experience in the past, where males are more likely to make mistakes. She said "Yes. I've experienced it and it's also a commonly held opinion." So, this automatically triggered my internal thought "Whoa. That kind of sounds like it could be gender bias or a stereotype."

To be clear, there was no argument. I just internally felt like when a dog turns their head because they are confused and trying to understand.

If her decision making is based upon her lived experience, I don't think it's fair to discredit that. But, is it just an excuse to justify a gender stereotype though?

I did some research, but ended up here. I'm actually fascinated by the topic and greater sociological themes.

But here is another possible example that I may have unintentionally done just now. I assumed that people in this subreddit are probably more informed on my topic. Did I discriminate from the possible knowledge of other groups, based on an assumption?

Notes:

• This is intended to be a discussion about terminology, equality, and feminism. NOT an attempt to criticize my partner or anyone else.
• I had three brain surgeries in the past 6 months and I'm trying to make sure some piece of info didn't get lost along the way. Please don't call me an uninformed idiot. I'm trying my best to get informed.

Thank you for your time and energy!

Edit: Oh no. I just realized it could possibly be considered as Prejudice? I need a flow chart. I just want to be a good person and not accidentally break rules. 😭 This is the type of battle that goes on in my mind every day.