The Paris City Hall will pay a fine of 90,000 euros (109,477 dollars) for appointing almost twice as many women to leadership positions as men, official said.
Anne Hidalgo, the French Capital Mayor, said this on Wednesday that the city hall failed to comply with the gender quota in 2018 staffing.
“In 2018, the city hall employed 11 women and five men for management positions, meaning that 69 per cent of the appointments went to women.
“The city should pay a fine [of 90,000 euros] for employing too many women for senior positions.
“There were suddenly too many women in the city administration,” Hidalgo said at a city council meeting.
The mayor added that she, along with her female assistants and other women in the administration, would personally deliver a check for 90,000 euros to the Ministry of Public Sector Transformation and the Civil Service.
“The fine is obviously absurd. In addition, it is unfair, unreasonable and dangerous.
“Yes, we should contribute to the promotion of women decisively and effectively, as the gap in this area in France is still very large,” the official added.
The ministry’s representative, Amelie de Montchalin, confirmed that the fine was connected to the 2018 decision, adding that the money is needed to finance concrete steps to promote women in the public service.
In 2013, the French authorities established a quota, according to which, representatives of the same gender cannot hold more than 60 per cent of leadership positions.
In 2019, the provision for exemption from penalties if appointments do not lead to gender imbalance was removed. Currently, at least 40 percent of nominations should account for both genders.
According to Le Monde newspaper, in general, women still occupy only 47 per cent of management positions in the city administration, while their salaries are lower by 6 per cent less than those of their male colleagues.
