In this chapter we consider why equality bargaining, although relatively well developed in France compared to many other European countries, has failed to make headway in reducing the gender pay gap at national level. The chapter sets out first the features of collective bargaining in the French context, showing how it is shaped by the legal framework, in successive iterations of policy. As we argue, the transformative potential of equality bargaining has been repeatedly undermined by its institutional configuration and the weak regime for legal enforcement, as well as its instrumentalization by policy-makers. In this analysis we draw on existing research evaluating equality bargaining in the private sector, including a project in which we participated, and which analysed plans and agreements made in 2014-2015 based on textual analysis of a representative sample of 184 and twenty organizational case studies (Pochic et al., 2019). We argue that the institutional configuration of the French model has also shaped the way in which workplace gender equality is defined, whereby trade unions have sought to integrate class into discussion of gender equality, with limited success, but been much less active in promoting a broader intersectional approach. In conclusion we reflect on ways in which the French model could be extended and strengthened in order to enhance its transformative potential. In so doing, we follow Linda Dickens’ (1994) argument that equality bargaining not only needs to rest on a gender-equal way of working at all levels (bargaining equity), but also needs to be buttressed by strong and responsive legislation.