For many women in Australian industry, gains have been made towards equality, but there are sectors in which women continue to face significant challenges.

However, 2022 showed signs of being a ripe time for women to make progress, even in industries lagging behind in terms of pay parity and boardroom representation.

"This is a really classic moment for women," Lyn Hawkins, national director of Business Women Australia, said.

"People are listening and we've never seen such a massive movement from every quarter. Women are really banding together and with that comes a level of courage to speak out."

Business Women Australia, a collective of women from across Australia, collaborates for personal growth and business success. It aims to give women greater skills and resources to achieve their objectives.

Gender equality was growing for Australian business women, Ms Hawkins said, but levels of political representation and participation in key sectors, such as resources, continued to lag behind.

Maternity and paternity leave, and flexible work conditions, had certainly improved since her start in business in the 1990s. Women were also more confident to speak out on issues affecting their workplace comfort and safety.

"What women put up with in the boardroom, we now speak out about. Once it would have been laughed off or ignored," Ms Hawkins said.

There is a greater awareness of the importance of personal space and the impropriety of unwanted touching. Ms Hawkins praised the "courage and bravery" of this next generation of women - "our daughters".

"We were more outspoken compared to our mothers," she said.

"And then I look at what my kids are doing, and the Grace Tames of the world, and they're more powerful in calling out stuff that we turned a blind eye to.

"I'm really excited about the courage that this next generation has got for speaking up. That's going to keep the momentum going and smash a lot of issues."

Business Women Australia provides a sounding board and executive coaching for women to build the confidence to negotiate for what they are worth in private companies and bridge the pay gap, including having the same opportunities for equity.

"In private companies, I'm really pushing for more women to be not just an executive but getting access to equity in those private businesses, which they would normally offer to males," Ms Hawkins said.

Many women reported feeling an 'imposter syndrome', that despite their years of experience that they didn't deserve a place in the executive suite. The challenge was for candidates to accept they would never be perfect, it was important to "have a crack". Ms Hawkins urged women to be very clear on what their objectives were before deciding to take their next professional step, taking into account their commitments (financial, health and wellbeing, personal development, to family and friends), and deciding what their non-negotiables were.

"What I want to see organisations doing is paying women equally, giving them the flexibility to juggle what they need, so that they're being measured not on hours sitting in the office, or on Zoom meetings, but on outcomes."