Australian of the Year David Morrison has urged women to be bolder in standing up for their rights to help pave the way for societal change.
The former army chief says progress has stalled in the past 16 years since nearly 170 countries signed a bill of rights for women at a United Nations conference in Beijing.
"Me and my white, Anglo-Saxon, middle-aged mates have largely set the system that we all operate in. And, we've written the rules as well," he told a Business Chicks event on the eve of International Women's Day.
The retired lieutenant general believes the world has reached a tipping point where women's voices are being heard, and he wants them to call out sexism and mentor each other.
"These are all things that can be done now that will make a telling change to the society that we all want to give to our children," he said.
General Morrison noted that although Australians pride themselves on a `fair go for all' mantra, the gender pay gap currently sits at almost 19 per cent.
And the World Economic Forum estimates the global gender gap won't close for at least another century, in 2133.
General Morrison received the Australian of the Year award after his 2013 speech on sexual harassment in the army went viral following the so-called "Jedi Council" sex scandal.
He has pledged to put gender equality and diversity at the top of the national agenda and to continue 2015 recipient Rosie Batty's work in combating domestic violence.
During his four-year tenure as army chief, female enrolments increased by 700.
But general Morrison said the young men involved in the Australian Defence Force Academy Skype scandal were drawn to the organisation by some distorted culture of exclusivity.
He said the stereotypical image of the `Aussie digger' is that of a white man from a rural background who "fights best with a hangover".
It ignores women, the LGBTI community, aboriginal Australians, people of Asian heritage or muslim faith, he said.
"Think about the iconic figures that we go to when we try to define who we are as Australians," he said.
"The bronzed Anzac, the stoic pioneer, the dashing sportsman. There's an `us against them' mentality deep within our DNA."
General Morrison said this culture is present in most businesses, sporting teams and families in the country.
"Culture is all, it shapes us from birth, it defines us through life," he said.
"It allows us to reach our potential perhaps - but it holds far too many people back."
