Hasbro is out with a new version of Monopoly that has a twist: Girls and women have a built-in edge. For example, female players of Ms. Monopoly get $1,900 from the bank at the start of the game, while male players gets $1,500, reports USA Today. Similarly, female players collect $240 when they pass "go," while males get $200. The idea is to call attention to the gender pay gap that exists in the real world, per NBC News. To further the theme, players do not invest in real estate. Instead, they put their money into inventions by women, from bulletproof vests to solar heating to chocolate chip cookies. As for the character of Ms. Monopoly on the front of the box, Hasbro says she is the niece of the usual Monopoly mascot, Rich Uncle Pennybags.
“It’s a way that families can talk about what is happening around them, and it’s an easy way to explain to their kids, boys or girls, what has maybe happened to them over the years and what they’ve been experiencing,” a Hasbro marketing exec tells USA Today. Not everybody is thrilled. One sentiment emerging in tweets is criticism of the company for suggesting that women need assistance to win. "So Ms. Monopoly is teaching girls that they need help?" writes one user. "That they can't be as good as men unless they have help? Really @Hasbro?" (Another version of the game encourages cheating.)
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