Related: This year’s finalists for the National Toy Hall of Fame include. Has rolled the dice on almost 1,000 variations of the wheeling and dealing real-estate game over the past 84 years, from “Star Wars,” “The Simpsons” and “Game of Thrones” editions, to the kid-friendly Monopoly Junior. Now if only Hasbro can inspire real-life companies to invest in female entrepreneurs and pay women and men equally.Still others fear that rather than being “woke,” this new game night addition is perpetuating the gender pay gap that it’s meant to address. Obviously, marketing that uses feminist values merely for profit isn’t ideal.īut chances are I’ll keep falling for it.Įspecially when the product celebrates female entrepreneurs and highlights women’s scientific advancements and contributions - like the DNA model, stem cell isolation and the life raft. Monopoly made him curious enough to Google one of the female contributors the game highlights, Rosalind Franklin, who took groundbreaking photographs of DNA at Kings College in London that were later used to generate the iconic double helix. My son ended up with the least money, losing in the game to three girls. I’m leaning towards gimmick with this caveat. Or is it merely a cute gimmick that uses feminist values for profit? Monopoly a woke makeover of a stuffy toy - like Mattel’s recently released Rosa Parks Barbie (as part of its Inspiring Women series) and a Día de los Muertos version to commemorate the Mexican holiday? No thanks, Hasbro, we don’t want a head start. Ouch.īut it was true in a way and we don’t need the rules to give us an unfair advantage in order to win.īy giving female players a bigger starting cash pile and more money for passing “Go,” Hasbro is suggesting that female players need a head start simply because we’re, well, women. Monopoly.Īs my son geared up to take on his sister and her girlfriends, he commented that this version was like he was playing with one hand tied behind his back. Data shows that her median annual earnings are also $9,909 less than a man.īut the goal should be equal pay, not the lopsided economics in Ms. women’s soccer.Īn American woman earns 80.7 cents for every dollar a man earns, according to data from the U.S. The gender pay imbalance deserves attention from more than just U.S. My inner Alex Morgan had serious high hopes for a board game. I envisioned my daughter and her girlfriends enjoying a world - albeit make-believe - where women have an advantage often enjoyed by men. I pictured my son, daughter and their friends having discussions about the gender pay gap while rolling the dice. This feminist mom was intrigued and plunked down my $19.99. The idea is to give kids the chance to play a game where women make more than men and to highlight the often ignored achievements of women.Ī game that draws attention to the real-life pay imbalance between men and women and illuminates overlooked female inventors? The National Review even called it “the world’s dumbest board game.” Since the game came out this past fall, it’s fueled online outrage. Rather than game pieces like a Scottie dog or a top hat, players in Hasbro’s new game - for ages 8 and older - can choose to play as a notebook and pen, a barbell, a jet, a watch, a wine glass, or Ms. Rather than buying up properties, players in the female-centric game invest in inventions and innovations by women, including leak-proof diapers, windshield wipers, bulletproof vests, solar heating, the dishwasher and the coffee filter. Monopoly, male players get the usual $200 Monopoly bucks when they pass “Go” but women receive $240, reversing the real-world pay dynamics between men and women in the workplace.įemale players start out with $1,900 while male players get $1,500.

Monopoly.īilled as the woke version of the classic game, under the rules of Ms. I am the worst kind of consumer, the kind that falls for marketing that uses feminist values for profit.

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