‘Similar but different’: Social representations of health according to gender for French youth

This study focuses on life experiences and social representations related to gender in the context of health among young French lay people aged from 18 to 21 years (N = 47). Qualitative analysis of the discursive content of nine focus groups illuminated the lay thinking underlying gender issues in the health context. Broadly speaking, group composition (i.e. unisex, mixed) had an impact on participants’ discourse construction. Through their discourses, participants came to ‘naturalise’ the health issues and practices of each sex/gender through the biological specificities of men and women. In addition, discourse content underscores a differentiated ‘imperative of health’.