The study explored the conceptual views of "critical mass", alongside micro experiences, of women, at a practice level, on a doctoral preparation programme which was implemented within the South African Development Community (SADC) and Ethiopian contexts. At the strategising level of policies, insufficient attention has been paid to the presence of women on doctoral preparation programmes and how individual women, in mutually aligned life circumstances with other women, and men, might advance gender equality outcomes. There are also theoretical gaps in relation to grand strategies in complex development contexts, such as gender and doctoral education, in terms of attending to how women access and/or experience these programmes. Using programme evaluation documents and participant observation, the research showed that viewing gender-targeting strategies differently opens up the possibilities for nano advances to be made, even in worlds of big complexities.