Introduction - Recent studies of the adult population suggest that social status influences the use of both legal and illegal psychoactive substances differently among men and women, whether they are employed, young adults, students, unemployed, or working. This study extends these analyses to 17-year-olds by examining their educational status in greater detail. Materials and Methods - A nationally representative survey of 17-year-olds of French nationality, conducted regularly between 2000 and 2005, allows us to measure changes in the use of the main psychoactive substances by gender and to identify their social determinants. Results - Daily smoking has declined, regular alcohol consumption has remained stable, but episodes of alcohol intoxication have increased, as has experimentation with most illicit substances, which show a trend toward feminization, sometimes marked, as in the case of crack and amphetamines. All these forms of use appear more gender-neutral among middle and high school students than among apprentices or out-of-school youth, who exhibit more male-dominated patterns. Conclusion - Substance use is influenced by educational status and parents’ socioeconomic background, but only educational status affects the degree of male dominance, which is more pronounced among students in vocational programs or among those who have left the school system. [author’s summary]