PARIS — If cities had genders, Paris would almost surely be a woman. So much about it seems feminine: the sensuous curves of the Seine around which it is built, the ubiquitous concern for the cut of a coat, the elegance of its cityscape. And now, Paris is on the eve of electing its first female mayor.

The two leading candidates are Anne Hidalgo, 54, and Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, 40: both women, both with ambitious plans for Paris, both with government experience, and both willing to fight for a job that has often been a steppingstone to higher office.

The first round of municipal elections nationwide will be held Sunday, with a runoff a week later in places where no candidate has won a majority.

“This is, after all, the conquest of Paris — this is a symbol,” said Mariette Sineau, a political scientist at Sciences Po who has written a book on women and power in France. “We are going to see a woman in this post, and this will make things move.”