The Australia Institute found the cost of cyberhate and online harassment to the Australian economy is $3.7 billion. That figure only counts lost income and medical expenses — so the real cost is far greater.

The rise of impressive female independent candidates is the result of several factors, but the Coalition's failure to adequately deal with its woeful numbers of women is propelling independent women to step forward in a perfect political storm.

"There's research showing that [the gender-neutral name trend] may actually pay off," says Michelle Brady, a senior research fellow in sociology at the University of Queensland's School of Social Science. One US study found female lawyers with more masculine names are more likely to become judges, for example.

BBC broadcaster Jenni Murray remembers being on a family trip as a child, and wondering why women didn't seem to be as celebrated. "I remember trailing around all over London, seeing lots of statues of king this, and king that, and sir the other and lord this, and thinking, 'goodness, have no women ever done anything?'" she says. But history is full of remarkable women.

Canberrans report the highest level of perceived safety at home and out at night of any community in Australia. Despite that, previous research found that less than half of Canberra women felt safe out at night, something the ACT Minister for Women, Yvette Berry, herself admitted was "nothing to celebrate".

Australian Sailing regional manager, Glen Stanaway, estimates close to 1,000 sailors are taking part in the National and Youth Championships across a range of different boat classes. "About 50 per cent of women involved in this event [are] young women, [they are] very, very competitive," he said.

In the past two years, there had been a surge in hospital admissions for girls playing contact sports like soccer in the past two years. Research is limited, but there is evidence that women experience a higher rate of concussion than men, as well as being six times at greater risk of an ACL injury. There is also a difference in reporting of injury, which complicates research efforts.

While many people are praising Ms Alqunun for her bravery, some fear that her case may lead to tighter surveillance of young women and a crackdown on their existing freedoms. "I think that is going to result in a crackdown and I think that's something that the international community is going to have to grapple with, how you address increased surveillance and a tightening of women's rights in these states," one human rights lawyer said.

Of the 35 lawyers at Ms Care's firm, 33 are women. "When you build anything you're always proud but it's funny because it just evolved it's not what I set to achieve," she said. "I feel it's happening because I'm finding like-minded women who want what I want — they want to be able to share their intelligence, help their clients, have a career, have the flexibility — and that doesn't just necessarily mean family it means anything they want to do."

The OECD's latest statistics on gender equality in the health sector shows Japan ranks the worst when it comes to the share of female doctors, at just 20 per cent. Urologist and head of Japan Medical Women's Association Yoshiko Maeda with a patient. PHOTO: For doctor Yoshiko Maeda, the scandal is a sign of how behind Japan is when it comes to gender equality. To compare, Australia stands at 39.4 per cent.