She was studying the experiences of women who form small minorities in the corporate sector. Kanter estimated that, when the proportion of minority members reached about 30%, they were able to influence decision making autonomously as a group. In the 1980s, her findings were picked up on by the Danish political scientist Drude Dahlerup (Dahlerup, 1988), w ho argued that the critical mass phenomenon could also apply to women who constituted a minority' group in politics. As for the outcomes that critical mass could produce, Kanter and Dahlerup referred mainly to the possibility’ that increased numbers would enable women to form supportive coalitions and promote women-relevant policy change.