Young women who want to get into politics should use Donald Trump's US presidential election as fuel and not a deterrent, a Labor MP says.
Joanne Ryan said the defeat of Hillary Clinton was not the result many women in Australia and abroad had hoped for.
And she was worried it could have broader ramifications.
"If a former secretary of state, senator, first lady, leader of an international charity, stateswoman ... can't be elected commander in chief without hesitation or drama, I can imagine why some women around the country - and indeed the world - are shattered tonight," she told parliament on Wednesday.
The former school principal said a young man in her office only decided to send his resume after Barack Obama was elected in 2008.
She was concerned that dozens of capable, insightful and talented women now won't want to send their resumes in the future.
Ms Ryan said Australia had had its fair share of average male political leaders, who were given plenty of chances to prove themselves.
But women who've made it to the height of politics, namely former Labor prime minister Julia Gillard, were forced to run a gauntlet.
She called on women to come together to make change happen.
"Young women interested in government, interested in politics - whether they be Greens, Labor, Liberal or any other party - should not give up on politics.
"Do not let tonight dissuade you. Use it for fuel. It's time for women to call out sexism where they see it and refuse to be silenced."
