Australia's defence, intelligence and foreign relations communities have a woman problem, an in-depth study carried out for the Sydney-based Lowy Institute has found.

The study found that, while there were some "notable trailblazers" - such as Frances Adamson, who is serving as the first woman to head the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) - there remains a "severe gender imbalance" across departments and agencies responsible for the country's interface with the world.

DFAT Secretary Frances Adamson and Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne during a Senate committee hearing this year. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Australia has never had a female ambassador or high commissioner to the key diplomatic posts of Jakarta, Tokyo, London or Washington, DC, for instance.

Women make up only a third of Australian ambassadors or heads of mission overall, and occupy just one-third of senior executive positions in the core agencies that are "internationally-facing", compared with 45 per cent across the public service as a whole.