Hasbro is set to release a new version of Monopoly that won’t have players vying to scoop up real estate at all. The new game, designed to highlight the gender pay disparities, will have players investing in female entrepreneurs.
Ms. Monopoly will be the first in the franchise’s history where a female character will grace the cover — an advocate who invests in female entrepreneurs, a contrast to Mr. Monopoly, a real estate mogul.
To celebrate the launch of the game, which will be available starting this month, Hasbro surprised three young entrepreneurs with $20,580 to further their projects. The winners were: Sophia Wang, a 16-year-old from Connecticut; Gitanjali Rao, a 13-year-old from Denver and Ava Canney, a 16-year-old from Ireland.
“Through the introduction of Ms. Monopoly and the money these young women have received to invest in their future projects, we want to recognize and celebrate the many contributions women have made to our society and continue to make on a daily basis,” Jen Boswinkel, senior director of global brand strategy and marketing at Hasbro, said in a statement.
Women, in 2018, who were full-time wage and salary workers earned just 81 percent of the median for men, who were full-time wage and salary workers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The rules of the game highlight the disparity by giving women a boost: Women get $1,900 to start the game and men get $1,500. Each time a woman passes go, she receives $240 and men receive $200.
Hasbro released a “millennial-themed” Monopoly earlier this year, sans property, which received some criticism.