Final answer:
Sexism towards newborns/infants includes preferential treatment based on sex, influenced by cultural beliefs and gender stereotypes, which can result in the neglect or different levels of care provided to infants. Examples range from societal prejudices that favor male children to healthcare inequalities that emerge when intersecting gender and race are not adequately acknowledged.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sexism is a form of prejudice and discrimination based on sex, which can manifest from the earliest stages of life, even newborns/infants can be subject to it. Examples of sexism towards infants include the preferential treatment given to baby boys over girls, which can influence the level of care, nutrition, and attention they receive. This imbalance often stems from deep-seated cultural beliefs and gender stereotypes where males might be valued more than females, leading to serious outcomes such as the mistreatment or neglect of baby girls.
In some areas, like Sichuan, China, the societal preference for male children led to practices such as infant abandonment, with extreme cases requiring public interventions like roadside signs reminding people that discrimination against baby girls is forbidden. In healthcare, ignoring the differences in needs and experiences between races can lead to inequalities, as reported by Davis (2019), which can also be seen as a form of sexism when the gender-race intersectionality is considered. Additionally, societal expectations right from birth can be subtle, pushing boys and girls into specific roles and behaviors from a very young age.