only 23% of cities with populations of less than 1,000 have nearly equal city councils

More than 320 municipalities do not even have women on their city councils. “Men must give up their place to elected women” in order to comply with the law, explained the president of the France Inter network. But the opposite also happens.

Starting in the next municipal elections, in March 2026, candidate lists must respect equality in towns with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants, as is currently the case in other cities. Yet currently, only 23% of cities with a population of less than 1,000 have nearly equal city councils (between 45% and 55% women), according to a study published by the Local Elected Officials network on the occasion of the national day of elected women, held on Friday 21 November and Saturday 22 November in Paris, following the congress of French mayors.

Of the 25,000 cities with fewer than 1,000 residents in France, 77% would have to make significant changes to their current city councils to achieve equality. “In the majority of cases, it is men who have to give up their positions to elected women,” explained on Friday at Inter France Julia Mouzon, president of the network of local elected officials, which brings together 10,000 elected women across France. Currently, 319 municipalities do not even have a single woman elected.

On the other hand, certain cities have more women than men and also need to make changes. This happens for example in the commune of Saint-Point-Lac, in Doubs, where the city council is 100% female. With the new law, candidate lists cannot be submitted to the prefecture if they are not equal.

The network of local elected officials observes disparities depending on the region. “Across the west of France, as a whole, we are far ahead in terms of equality and in the east, and especially in the North East, there are significant efforts to be made. depicts Julia Mouzon. In contrast, there is no difference according to political color “because in most small communities, elected officials don’t have a political label.”

The new equality law faced fierce opposition earlier this year, and some highlighted the difficulty in finding female candidates. For Julia Mouzon, it is “questions about local culture” to evolve. “We must remember that although its implementation may be difficult at the moment, this law is a law that galvanizes our political life, that invites people who are not involved in politics, that forces the heads of the register to question themselves to see how the law will encourage people to come and participate in the life of the city”, he stressed.

“What we observe is that female mayors find it easier to find women because they identify with them. They say to themselves ‘Madam Mayor is a woman, she manages her personal, professional, private life, I can do the same'”, said Julia Mouzon. “We strongly encourage leaders, women and men, to discuss these topics, to adapt political life to the new way of life and the new schedule that everyone wants: both women and men now want to see their children, unlike political life 40 years ago. Therefore, we encourage elected officials who are looking for women and want to mobilize them in political life to take action and apply the brakes one by one and convince them because they clearly have a place in political life.”

“The problem is that men in a 100% masculine environment look at each other and say there is a problem.”

Julia Mouzon, president of the local elected officials network

at France Inter

For Julia Mouzon, “The challenge now is to achieve a culture of equality, that equality in political life is something that is normal and that men in a 100% masculine environment look at each other and say that there is a problem.”