Paris -- A French feminist group awarded its "Macho of the Year" award Friday to the archbishop of Paris for his remark that women needed not just a skirt but "something between your ears as well".

Les Chiennes de garde (literally "The Guard Bitches"), one of France's most outspoken women's groups, made the award two days ahead of International Women's Day.

It gave second prize to comedian Fabrice Eboue for his comment on French television that "feminism is not just for authoritarian or sexually frustrated women, it's also for lesbians."

Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois made his prize winning remark about the difficulties of recruiting women to jobs in the Roman Catholic Church last November on a radio programme, sparking a string of protests.

"The hard part is finding women who are properly trained," he said. "It's not enough to have a skirt, you have to have something between your ears as well."

He later apologised for the comments, explaining that what he had meant was "that people are not accepted into the Church depending on their gender but on their personal ability."

AFP/Expatica