Labor MPs have hailed a decision to boost the number of female MPs in the party to 50 per cent by 2025.
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In a resolution passed shortly before Labor's national conference finished on Sunday, the party committed to further increasing the number of women in its ranks.
"I was 21 when this debate started and I'll be 54 by the time we see true gender equality in our party," Victorian Minister for Industrial Relations Natalie Hutchins said on Monday. "It's been a long fight, but absolutely worth it.
"For me, the need was obvious - we had to achieve something better for the next generation of Labor women. The biggest win was achieving clear, progressive and binding steps forward. What we have is a timeline of what the party needs to achieve and by when."
Labor first began to set targets for women MPs more than 20 years ago when it agreed in 1994 to a quota of 30 per cent. That was later raised to 40 per cent.
Women now make up 43.3 per cent of Labor MPs in all lower houses in the country.
But there has been concern inside the party that upper houses were not keeping pace. In Tasmania, for example, there are no Labor women in its upper house.
An internal Labor working paper on affirmative action prepared before the weekend's conference found 52 per cent of the 422 women who were surveyed believed the party was still a boys' club.
Nearly half - 48.5 per cent - said women did not receive sufficient encouragement to pursue political careers, and 36 per cent believed women were discouraged by the treatment of women MPs in the party and the media.
Federal Labor leader Bill Shorten backed the change, and conference participants noted it was a rare example of the NSW Right and the Victorian Left uniting in support.
The target will be reached in stages - 45 per cent by 2022 and 50 per cent by 2025 - and also applies to party officials.
State party branches will have to report on their progress towards achieving the targets and the national executive will be able to intervene in preselections to make sure the rule is followed.
Those who pushed for the change are confident the party can reach equal representation of men and women.
Ms Hutchins said Labor Party members would "need to keep working" to make sure "we as a party hold ourselves to account and that we address some of the disadvantages women face".
"But we had a clear message on Sunday: if we want equality in our society then it should begin with equality in our party," she said.
