Labour's acting leader has called for half of the party's shadow cabinet to be made up of women.
Harriet Harman said she wanted the rules revised for shadow cabinet elections to make sure there was a 50-50 split between men and women.
"It's time for Labour women to step out of the shadows," she told the national conference of Unite in Manchester.
Ms Harman told delegates Labour now had 81 women MPs, more than all the other parties put together.
She added: "Labour is the only party in Parliament which speaks up for women in this country. We have some excellent experienced women and some brilliant new women MPs. We still do have twice as many men MPs as women. The Labour men are great - but they are not twice as good as the women."
The acting leader said rebuilding and renewing Labour following the election defeat was an important task, stressing that the party must "listen and learn".
She continued: "Our biggest loss of support was from hard-working families who, worried about housing and jobs, felt insecure and concerned about immigration.
"Now there is our chance to debate these issues throughout the party and through the contest for the next Labour leader."
The Labour leadership election will involve up to four million people, making it the biggest election in any political party or any organisation in this country, she said.
Ms Harman said people at work feared for their future under the new Government, pledging that Labour would be an "effective" opposition, speaking up for public services and jobs.
