Thanks to a recent study conducted by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, the "Scully Effect" posited by fans of The X-Files has now been proven. The survey results showed that the character of Agent Dana Scully was an inspiration and a trailblazer—63% of women surveyed said that Scully gave them the confidence to believe that they too could succeed in a field that was male-dominated—demonstrating that gender parity in media can result in social change.