Five reasons women should vote for Hillary Clinton

It is said that women – particularly younger female voters – do not warm to Hillary Clinton, but the polls suggest otherwise. There is no automatic reason why women should vote for the Democratic candidate. As Susan Sarandon, a Bernie Sanders supporter, said during the campaign: "I don't vote with my vagina" – and nor should any woman. Yet here are five good reasons to say #I'mWithHer,

1. Women's rights will be safer under President Clinton

Donald Trump wants to appoint anti-abortion judges to the Supreme Court and to restrict access to late term abortions in circumstances where the woman's health or life is at risk.

Clinton has promised to defend access to abortion and Planned Parenthood clinics, and has pledged that decisions on termination are for a woman and her family to make - not the government. If she wins, women will keep their right to choose.

2. The gender pay gap has a better chance of being closed

Clinton has pledged to push for greater transparency from employers on how much they pay their male and female workers to allow women to fight discrimination at work. She will also raise the minimum wage, a rate which affects women more than men: two thirds of US workers on the minimum wage are female, and women are more likely to be living in poverty.

3. Childcare will be more affordable

Clinton has promised to help parents with childcare costs - and more often than not the burden falls on working mothers, or the costs are so punitive that it is more economical for women to stay at home.

Her plans to make childcare more affordable include floating the idea of tax cuts for new parents, as well as pledging paid leave for new parents and for people who have to take time off to look after a loved one who is sick.

Responsibility for caring for an elderly parent or ill spouse often falls on women. As First Lady, she campaigned for $1bn to be spent on after-school projects, making it easier for women to stay in work.

4. Trump's attitude to women is appalling

If Clinton's policies to appeal to female voters aren't enough, consider this: Trump has bragged about groping women, described women as "fat pigs" and made dubious sexual references to his own daughter. He is a sexist.

Yes, women should not automatically vote for another woman just because we have the same reproductive organs, but think about what a Trump presidency would mean for feminism. It would be a disaster. By contrast, Clinton has promised to be their champion while in the White House – as she said, "women's rights are human rights".

For the first time, the most powerful person in the world will be a woman

5. The highest glass ceiling will be smashed - at last

There has been plenty of focus on what a Trump victory would mean for America and the world. But think about the impact of Clinton winning on women and girls everywhere: for the first time, the most powerful person in the world will be a woman.

As she said when she came close to being the Democratic candidate in 2008, there were millions of cracks in the glass ceiling. If she wins, there will be no ultimate barrier for women.

Yes, Clinton was a First Lady but she has been so much more. Her political career stretches back to before her husband Bill was in the White House, and for many years afterwards, as senator, then Secretary of State.

To say she has got to where she is just because she was married to a president undermines her achievements, her refusal to give up, and her stamina. There cannot be a more potent role model for a young girl who wonders if there is anything she cannot do.

Jane Merrick is a freelance journalist and former political editor of The Independent on Sunday. She writes an allotment blog, www.heroutdoors.uk