The mayor of Paris mocked France's Public Service Ministry last week after being fined $110,000 for promoting too many women to senior positions within the city's government—a law initially put in place to help women.
"I am happy to announce we have been fined," said Mayor Anne Hidalgo during a city council meeting. "The management of the city hall has, all of a sudden, become far too feminist."
The city was fined 90,000 Euro for promoting over 60% of a certain gender to senior positions. In 2018, 11 women and five men were promoted within the Paris government, effectively violating the gender parity rule of 2013, which was meant to assist with women's workplace equality.
Hidalgo deemed the fine "absurd, unfair, irresponsible and dangerous," noting that the country still has issues with promoting women to senior positions.
The law was amended in 2019 to allows for a waiver for a gender disparity in promotions as long as it does not create an overall gender imbalance, but the amendment came too late to negate the 2018 fine.
"We must promote women with determination and vigor because the delay everywhere in France is still very great," Hidalgo told the Paris Council. "So yes, to promote and one day achieve parity, we must speed up the tempo and ensure that in the nominations there are more women than men."