France is working up new regulations that will force employers to close the gender pay gap in three years or face fines.

Men in France are still paid on average nine percent more than women in the same job, despite the fact that equal pay laws have been on the books for about 45 years.  Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told a group of employers and union leaders that companies were moving "far too slowly" under present regulations, according to a report in Le Parisien. 

Companies with more than 50 workers will be required to use a software tool that will monitor their payroll for gender discrepancies.  A version of the app is already in use in Switzerland and Luxembourg.  Labor authorities also plan to increase random inspections of companies in order to enforce the law.

Eliminating the gender pay gap is a top goal of President Emmanuel Macron's five-year plan for France.