France’s public service ministry has fined the city authorities of capital Paris 90,000 euros (nearly Rs 81 lakh) for employing too many women in senior positions in 2018, The New York Times reported on Thursday. Eleven women and five men had been promoted to top positions in the city government, breaching a rule mandated in 2013 designed to bring about gender parity in employment.

According to the rule, one sex could not account for more than 60% of nominations to senior positions. However, in 2018, the city hall appointed 11 women and 5 men, resulting in just above 30% representation for men, according to The New York Times.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a sarcastic jibe at the decision, calling it “far too feminist”.

“Today I am going to rejoice that we have been sentenced to a fine,” Hidalgo said at a Paris City Council meeting on Tuesday. “It is with joy, shared with many others, that I learned last week that the city of Paris had to pay a 90,000 euro fine.”

France’s Public Service Minister Amelie de Montchalin took to Twitter to confirm that the fine had been levied for 2018 hiring, adding that the “absurd rule” had since been repealed.

“I want the fine paid by Paris for 2018 to finance concrete actions to promote women in the public service,” she said in a message to the Paris mayor. “I invite you to the ministry to discuss them.”