The Scully effect or how The X-Files motivated fans of the series to pursue a scientific career | Feminism | S Fashion

There are characters that need no introduction. Homer from Simpson or Rachel from Friends They have such a secure place in pop culture that there’s no need to follow them on the small screen to know who they are. The same thing happens to Mulder and Scully. X file. During the nine seasons that this iconic series lasted (expanded by two films and revival in the form of a mini-series in 2016 and 2018), American actress Gillian Anderson gave life to Dana Scully, a brilliant scientist recruited by the FBI. Along with his lifelong partner Fox Mulder (Dave Duchovny), they formed one of the most memorable small-screen duos of the nineties.

While on the show Scully worked diligently to solve mysterious and paranormal cases, outside of it she inspired tens of thousands of girls who have identified the character as a powerful beacon in the world of science, a sector where few women are represented in fiction. themselves wearing white coats in hospital series. This is precisely what Marta Narberhaus Martinez, a professor and researcher at the Faculty of Communication Sciences at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, ​​points out, pointing out the “important differences” that exist “between people who have careers in STEM (an acronym in English for careers in science, technology, Engineering and Mathematics, STEM by name in Spanish). And he adds how easy it is to “find examples of healthcare series in which female characters appear as doctors or nurses: General Hospital, Grey’s Anatomy…but it’s still unusual to see female characters in technical fields such as engineers or mechanics.”

Evidence supports the Scully effect

In 2024, such characters are difficult to find, but in 1993, the year the first episode was released Secret materials, It was almost impossible. For this reason, Scully not only revolutionized television, but also contributed to a paradigm shift by encouraging the interest of many of the series’ followers in science, who went on to pursue careers in the field.

“Various studies have shown that media representation of women working in scientific fields increases the interest of girls and women in these professions. For a girl or teenager to have a profession as a scientist or engineer, the first thing she must do is imagine herself in this role. But the reality is that there are still few women speaking publicly in these fields,” says Narberhouse. Data collected in various studies support the so-called Scully effect. For example, in 2018, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media published a report entitled Scully effect: I want to believe a direct reference to Mulder and Scully from the first film in the universe Secret materials This is what it was called: I’d like to believe. This study, conducted in collaboration with 21st Century Fox, analyzed the relationship between the character of Dana Scully and the interest of female fans of the series in STEM disciplines, and came to very revealing conclusions: “63% of women “those familiar” in the character of Agent Scully showed more confidence in STEM careers.” The Scully Effect has been mentioned since the 1990s, and even the series’ scientific advisor, Professor Anne Simon, has spoken about her first-person experiences with the phenomenon. A University of Maryland professor, when he began teaching in 1999, asked his students if any of them had been influenced by Secret materials. “Two-thirds of the class raised their hands,” he said.

Long and winding road

In recent years, new female characters close to the scientific field have very timidly entered fiction. Avoiding stereotyping remains a challenge. For example, a label nerd scientists from The Big Bang Theory or the nerdy label of Alex Dunphy, the middle daughter of Phil and Claire Dumphy in Modern family. In this sense, the more variety there is in the characters, the more realistic and away from clichés these roles will end up being. “The influence of TV series on professions is obvious in other examples, such as the so-called CSI effect. The famous television series influenced the growth of forensic professions and the emergence of new university programs in this field. Since this series, the profession has become popular and some of the few female representations in STEM are in this field, as is the case with Jenny Cooper’s characters in Coroner or the Maura Islands Rizzoli and Isles” Narberhouse lists.

The road is still long and winding, full of false hopes. Although “more women scientists and more girls are entering scientific careers, women in STEM disciplines still remain invisible in Spain,” says Professor Narberhouse. According to data collected by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), “the proportion of male graduates in the fields of science, mathematics, computer science, engineering, industry and construction per 1,000 inhabitants aged 20 to 29 years in 2020 in Spain is 33.2% , and among women – 13.2%.” That is, the number of men graduating from STEM careers in 2020 was almost three times the number of women in our country. And the problem begins in childhood. Study published March 2024 Women in STEM: from basic education to careers, prepared by ESADE with the support of Banco Santander, it is specified that “already in the 4th grade of primary school, girls are 15% less likely than boys to consider mathematics their favorite subject, and 8–9% less likely to consider themselves good.” learn fast or enjoy.” The problem won’t be solved with just good female characters in fiction, but creating references for all audiences is certainly necessary.

The X-Files Pay Gap

During her involvement in fiction, Gillian Anderson also contributed to equality. In your case, to end the wage gap. When he introduced himself Casting The cast member was only 25 years old and new to the industry. His co-star was eight years older and his face was somewhat more famous. Therefore his reputation was much higher. However, as the seasons progressed and Dana Scully’s role dazzled audiences, the salary disparity persisted.

In 1997, Anderson received a Golden Globe and an Emmy for her role in X file (Duchovny only won a Golden Globe), but even with the support of that recognition, she had to fight for her salary to match her co-star’s. And he achieves this. Therefore, his surprise was enormous when, for his participation in revival In 2016, he was offered half of Dave Duchovny’s salary. The translator herself condemned this in an interview in Daily Beast, in which he explained that people don’t realize how big the wage gap is today: “Even in recent interviews, they were telling me, ‘I can’t believe this happened, how did you feel?’ And my answer is always: “It happened then and it happens now.” And it happened again! “I don’t even know what to say about this,” he said in the aforementioned publication.

The translator also did not remain silent, emphasizing the absence of women among the writers and directors of the series. “Only two of the 207 episodes were directed by women. I look forward to the day when the numbers are different,” he tweeted in 2017. A few months ago, the series was confirmed to return (again), this time presented as a new version with a different cast from the original. . Let’s hope the new Dana Scully manages to influence a whole new generation of women.