'We won't let them keep us quiet...' - Gendered strategies in the negotiation of power-implications for pupils' health and school health promotion

The aim of this qualitative study was to analyse gendered strategies among pupils in the negotiation of power at school, and to discuss possible impli cations for health. Twenty-seven single-sex focus group interviews were con ducted with pupils from equal opportunity projects The interviews were anal ysed using grounded theory. The girls used 'alliance building' and 'resista nce: in order to increase their power, while 'responsibility taking' and 'w ithdrawal' could mean maintained subordination. The boys used mastering tec hniques (various types of abuse, claiming to be the norm, acting-out behavi our, blaming the girls, choosing boys only) in self-interest to maintain th eir dominance. The girls' active and democratic actions far increased power could be of significant importance for their health. The boys' health woul d benefit if they gave up striving for power over others School health prom otion needs to address the asymmetric and gendered distribution of power be tween pupils, as well as to challenge the existing gender regime at an inst itutional level.