Senior Liberal women say the challenges are deeper than that: undermining of women, poor preselection practices, no mentoring, no determination to meet targets.

Former Liberal frontbencher Sophie Mirabella, unsuccessful in her campaign in the seat of Indi, said she believes senior - male - Liberals backgrounded against both her and assistant treasurer Kelly O'Dwyer on days one and two of the election campaign.

"If that's not orchestrated, what is? So many blokes, so little courage. This would be less objectionable if these people were geniuses but they had serious deficiencies, as you can see from the election result."

Ms Mirabella said the party must set and achieve targets on gender equity.

"Without the cultural change, it is not going to be attractive to a lot of women and the hurdles are significant," she said.

Ms Mirabella, formerly a public policy fellow at the University of Melbourne and first to sign up to Melbourne Declaration on Women's Participation in Australian Politics at the end of 2014, said her party would benefit from an Emily's List style of organisation.

"It would absolutely make a difference if women decided where the money goes, not males, who haven't run the best campaign.

"Why should we be beholden to their campaigns, which haven't been flash?"

Former Queensland Liberal senator Sue Boyce said the federal executive has set a target of 50 per cent.

"But there is not a lot happening in terms of implementing that. We have gone backwards but I don't think we can blame Malcolm for that. Most of the preselections were done before him."

For years, she has planned what she calls Foundation 51, a support organisation for Liberal women; and that such a body would provide mentoring and financial support.

"There is not a dedicated effort to encourage women who may be more reluctant. There is no pull-through."

She said aspiring women politicians needed mentors from the outset and then support throughout the preselection process.

Retiring member for the Victorian seat of Murray, Sharman Stone, said the party would benefit if it insisted on having equal numbers of men and women at each preselection contest. "You would keep the nominations open until you had the balance - then open competition at the preselection process itself."

The Liberal preselection process chose Duncan McGauchie to contest the seat of Murray who then lost to the Nationals' Damian Drum.

Senator Marise Payne told the ABC on Friday the party needed to identify strong female candidates early and encourage them on the positives of political life.

"I would hope that in the new term with my ministerial and other female colleagues... we will be able to work very, very closely with the organisation, the Prime Minister to make sure this situation changes," she said.

A senior Liberal woman, who did not wish to be named, said that those on preselection panels are mostly of the older age group.

"They think women are not up to the hurly-burly of politics."

She also said the Victorian branch of the Liberal Party had banned questions about child-rearing and childcare during the preselection process.

"They are not meant to be asked but they still allow them to be asked . . . invasive personal questions are enough to put women off nominating," she said.

Former sex discrimination commissioner Elizabeth Broderick said the party should identify stretch goals.

"That crystalises intent and makes it a priority issue. It needs to identify and set targets and report against those targets if it wants to make progress.

"It's a worldwide problem for any organisation," she said.