This article examines contemporary thinking about viable ways forward for gender equality at work. It questions both the lingering attachment to feminization in popular commentary and the renewed interest in positive discrimination within academic circles. Focusing on pay disparities in the public sector, it argues that greater attention should be given to the frontline agency of disadvantaged women and the material conditions that affect equality activism. Tensions in equality bargaining are highlighted, along with contradictory pressures on trade union intervention. ‘No-win-no-fee’ lawyers are considered to be neglected third party agents with greater relevance for representation and mobilization than the literature typically acknowledges, some proving to be highly effective in politicizing pay inequality.