X-Files: ‘Scully Effect’ Inspired Generation of Women in Science
The X-Files' Dana Scully could do pretty much everything her male partner could do--and women in the audience took notice. But being an icon came at a cost to the actress’ mental health.
On The X-Files, one of the longest-running science fiction series in network TV history, FBI special agents Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) and Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) investigated bizarre, unexplained cases. Though the government is convinced the reports are false, conspiracy theorist Mulder and skeptic Scully worked together to prove that "the truth is out there."
Scully quickly became a feminist icon: An equal with her male partner, she wasn't afraid to voice her scientific opinion and managed to avoid over-sexualization. There wasn't much Dana Scully couldn't do -- and women in the audience took notice.
As such, the fictional FBI agent spurred a real-life scientific movement, now called the "Scully Effect."
FBI agent Scully, whose background was in medicine and physics, used her skills frequently. Ever aware of the sexism in the world around her, Scully worked with confidence in a field that (at the time) was dominated by men.
Scully's professional success in the context of the show inspired the Scully Effect, which involved a substantial increase of women becoming interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and/or joining STEM fields because of Scully's influence.
Science has confirmed the Scully Effect: Research conducted by The Geena Davis Insitute on Gender in Media found that 63 percent of women familiar with Scully said she increased their belief in STEM importance, while 50 percent of those same women credited Scully with increasing their interest in STEM.
Scully also influenced medium/heavy women viewers of The X-Files to consider working in STEM fields (43 percent), study STEM fields (27 percent) and work in STEM fields (24 percent).
X-Files writer Shannon Hamblin:
"When you start to see female characters who don't play into caricature, and what their position is with a man in the same scene, it's like, 'No, they're both equal. They're both human beings.'"
Writer Kristen Cloke also confirmed that Scully was never written as the "second character."
While studies have identified many factors contributing to fewer women in STEM fields—including gender discrimination, lack of encouragement from teachers and parents and harmful stereotypes--Scully remains a pop culture icon whose legacy extends far beyond The X-Files to the real world.
DANA SCULLY'S REAL LIFE TRAUMA
Gillian Anderson played FBI Special Agent Scully throughout the original nine-season run of The X-Files (1993-2002). She also starred as the character in two feature films—The X-Files: Fight the Future (1998) and The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008). She returned the show's revival seasons in 2016 and 2018.
While Anderson's role broke important ground and inspired generations of viewers, she was keen to leave behind the role that caused her to suffer breakdowns.
"I had a good couple of mini breakdowns during that," the actress revealed during the latest THR Roundtable Discussion featuring other actresses, Cynthia Erivo, Anya Taylor-Joy, Elizabeth Olsen, Sarah Paulson, and Mj Rodriguez. Anderson shared that she had at the time been desperate to leave behind her iconic X-Files role when the show ended its original run.
The actress found a safe space in the London theater. Eventually, Anderson found her way back to television.
She also co-authored the book We: A Manifesto for Women Everwhere, which centers on pay equity and mental health issues. Urgent and provocative, We: A Manifesto for Women Everwhere is “part self-help, part social theory, centered in the idea that instead of having it ‘all,’ women can live happier, better lives by becoming more free” (Glamour), from longtime friends Gillian Anderson and Jennifer Nadel.
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