Define Stepchild Meaning

1. Something that does not receive appropriate care, respect, or attention

2. A child of one's spouse by a previous union

the act of displaying a cold shoulder, condescending, patronizing, ignoring, attitude toward someone

Treated with dislike, distaste, much the same as a "second class citizen." Less important. Ostracized, at times.
(If the stepchild had red hair, and the parent didn't, people would assume that the parent was the step-parent. This is obviously an ignorant assumption, since the gene for red hair is not a "dominate" gene, but a "recessive" gene -- it would skip generations before showing up again.)

To threaten somebody with an Ass whoopin' or to treat badly.

A child who is obviously not your own, a child who is treated worse than other children in the family

With red hair being rare, a child born to non red headed parents was often assumed to be the child of an affair. Thus was treated badly, usually in the form of beatings.

A person or group treated without the favor of birthright.

Applied to one who does not fit in and is shunned for the differences and/or is bullied at a high degree

In business, this is a product, remote office, employee, etc., who doesn't get respect. The moniker stems from the popular slang phrase "beat you like a red-headed stepchild." Often times, the disrespect is undeserved.

If a product is an embarrassment to a company, it is the company's red-headed stepchild.

A term that originated out of the common mistreatment and social ostracism of redheaded individuals (gingers). A redheaded individual born into(legitamately or not), or adopted into a family of non-redheads was typically subject to physical and emotional abuse, and usually short handed when it came to financial matters in the family, such as the estate or any savings the family had acquired. Today, the term can be applied to an individual or group of individuals who are outcasts, or are typically dealt the worst hand in society.