The article examines the relevance of gender in accounting for the formation of different welfare state regimes in Sweden and Germany. The comparative case study is focussing on the emergence of protective labour legislation. Both countries differ considerably with regard to the subject of inquiry. Germany passed numerous gendered regulations before the Great War, the Swedish development was in contrast rather modest. These differences are not just important because of the unequal treatment of men and women within social policies. Gendering processes play an important role in the very interpretation of industrial social risks and thus in the emergence of different policy patterns: Priority of individual-oriented damage limitation in Germany and preventive safety protection in Sweden