The French government has warned 500 companies they face fines for failing to comply with gender equality laws, reports The Guardian.
Women's rights minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem said the firms had been given an ultimatum to comply with anti-discrimination legislation dating back several years, but were still dragging their heels.
She said five companies were already being fined "penalties of several million euros for each month … until they bring themselves in line with the law".
"It is no longer a virtual sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of enterprises, but a real one. Suddenly the companies are sending us their professional equality plans. More than 4,000 have done so since January," Vallaud-Belkacem told Europe 1 television.
"But to be efficient, it [the legislation] has to be dissuasive and above all plausible," the minister, who has said that fining businesses who break the law is a "last resort".
French companies employing more than 50 people have been required to move towards equality in both seniority and salary since 2010, but many paid lip-service to the principle. However, in January 2012, financial penalties were introduced for non-compliance – legislation that allows the government to fine companies up to 1% of their total wage bill.
The gap between men's and women's salaries in private companies in France is estimated at 27%.
Read more of this report from The Guardian.