A French law enacted in 2013 to help women gain access to senior roles in the civil service has not had its intended effect.
The news: Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo announced on Tuesday that the Parisian city hall was fined $109,408 for having appointed too many women to top jobs in 2018, a violation of the country’s gender equality law, CBS News reported.
- The 2013 law required a minimum of 40% of appointments go to each gender.
- In 2018, the top positions in Hidalgo’s city hall went to 11 women and only 5 men.
- Since that meant only 30% of appointees were male, the Civil Service Ministry responded by imposing a fine.
The response: Hidalgo reacted on Tuesday during a council meeting by calling the fine “obviously absurd, unfair, irresponsible and dangerous.”
- “I am happy to announce we have been fined,” the Parisian city hall mayor, a Socialist party member.
- “The management of the city hall has, all of a sudden, become far too feminist.”
French Public Service Minister Amélie de Montchalin said on Tuesday that the law was changed in 2019 to allow an imbalance of men and women in office as long as an overall gender balance was maintained.
- However, the fine imposed on Paris’ city hall will still apply as the hiring took place before the law was changed.
