After more than 10 years of political debate, Germany introduces a federal minimum wage in 2015. As low wages are overwhelmingly a female problem, the main beneficiaries of the new policy are working-class women. However, due to the intersection of gender and class, the interests of this group for better pay are a marginalized interest even in a corporatist setting that gives labor unions a privileged position in political bargaining. My paper analyzes political actors’ changing positions towards a minimum wage policy from 2002-2013. Drawing on the concept of framing, I ask whether or not the high incidence of low wages among female workers was conceived as part of the problem that had to be solved? And if (not) so: how can this be explained? My central finding is that in spite of the initial success of labor unions in feminized sectors, women’s policy agencies and gender experts to insert a gender equality frame into the debate, the re-alignment of powerful critics finally was enabled by a protectionist frame (protecting mostly male temporary workers from wage dumping by East European competitors) – thus choosing a male frame for an overwhelmingly female problem. This is explained by entrenched interests of male-dominated powerful labor unions and internal alliances between different wings of the governing Conservative Party. My paper will conclude with a discussion of the ambivalences of this case: What are the chances and the pitfalls of speaking on behalf of men to promote women’s interests?
