Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo announced that the French city had been fined an absurd €90,000 by the French Ministry of Civil Service for appointing ‘too many women’ to management positions.

The fine relates to her staff choices from 2018. Eleven women and five men were promoted in City Hall in 2018, violating a national 2013 rule, ‘Sauvadet law,’ which aims to bring about gender parity in employment.

’11 women, 5 men … The City of Paris was fined 90,000 euros because too many female directors were appointed,’ Mayor Anne Hidalgo tweeted on Tuesday. ‘The management of the City would suddenly become far too feminist,’ Hidalgo said.

11 femmes, 5 hommes… La Ville de Paris a été condamnée à 90.000 euros d’amende parce que trop de femmes directrices ont été nommées.Avec mes adjointes, les directrices et les présidentes de groupe, nous irons donc porter ce chèque à la Ministre de la Fonction publique. pic.twitter.com/yMDAeH86eS

— Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) December 15, 2020

‘This fine is obviously absurd. Even more, it is unfair, irresponsible, dangerous. Yes, we must promote women with determination and vigor, because the delay everywhere in France is still very great,’ she said.

She also said that she and her female staff would present the check to pay the fine to the Ministry of Public Service, and demanded further action to achieve gender parity.

Hidalgo added: ‘We must promote women with determination because the backwardness in France is still very great. We must therefore accelerate the tempo and appoint more women than men.’

A law passed in 2019 relaxed the rules, allowing organisations to prefer either more of men or women at certain levels as long as it doesn’t result in gender imbalance. As per the new rules, Paris would not have been fined.

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