Australian women: Today is for you too. This is why.

Today is the day.

No matter where you live, no matter your religion or your race or even your political beliefs, today is the day.

The day for every woman who has ever been told that she’s not qualified for a position or a promotion or a pay rise only to watch dumbfounded as a less qualified, less capable man is rewarded.

It’s the day for every woman who hasn’t been given a seat at the boardroom table; who has had her opinions dismissed or talked over or disregarded.

It’s the day for every one of us who has been asked “Is your husband home?” or “Why don’t you smile more?” or “Shouldn’t you be home with your kids?”

Today is the day for 19-year-old me who was told I was only ever allowed to wear skirts or dresses when working in a gift shop because the elderly male boss felt it was how ‘women should dress’.

It’s for my best friend’s mum who in the 60s had to give up her job because she was married (and her husband could now ‘keep’ her).

It’s for the women who came before us who were denied the right to vote and have a say in the society in which they lived.

Listen to Mia Freedman discuss the final US presidential debate ahead of the election.

It’s for the 62 million women and girls around the world who are refused the right to go to school because they are female.

Today is the day for every one of us who has ever been told to stop being so sensitive or so emotional or such a bitch at work.

It’s for every Australian woman who continues to earn 80 cents for every one dollar earned by an Australian man.

It’s for every time we’ve heard “Show us your tits” and been patronised by being called “honey” or “sweetheart” or “darling”. It’s for every time we’ve walked to our car with our keys in our hand. Every day we’ve read a story about male violence against women.

It’s for the constant reinforcement that a woman’s worth is indexed to her looks.

It’s for all of that because all of that is tied into the idea that women are not equal. That we are intellectually inferior. That we are less-than.

Well today is our day.

For the first time in the history of the United States the best candidate, the most qualified candidate, the candidate with the breadth and width of experience, the candidate with the fortitude, the compassion, the steeliness and the stamina, the candidate with the strength, the resolve, the self-restraint and the intelligence is a woman. Our time has come. And I could not be happier.

Today is our day.

And this is not about gender over merit.

This is about freaking merit.

Do you need me to go through Hillary Rodham Clinton’s qualifications because you know I will?

Hillary Rodham Clinton attended Yale Law School.

Hillary Rodham Clinton worked as an attorney for the Children’s Defence Fund whose mission is “to ensure every child a healthy start, a head start, a fair start, a safe start, and a moral start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities”.

In 1977 as an attorney Hillary Rodham Clinton co-founded Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families a not for profit organisation who (according to their website) “ensure that all children and their families have the resources and opportunities to lead healthy and productive lives and to realize their full potential.”

In 1979 Hillary Rodham Clinton became the first female partner at Rose Law Firm.

Hillary Rodham Clinton chaired the Arkansas Education Standards Committee to help reform Arkansas' public schools.

As First Lady of the United States, Hillary Rodham Clinton worked with Democrats and Republicans to create the Children’s Health Fund, which has given healthcare to eight million children.

In 2009 Hillary Rodham Clinton was the first female senator from New York.

Hillary Rodham Clinton served as the 67th United States Secretary of State.

Hillary Rodham Clinton was part of the National Security Team, which brought Osama Bin Laden to justice.

Hillary Rodham Clinton is the first female in US history to top a major party’s Presidential ticket.

You don’t like her?

Please.

This is not Miss Congeniality. This is not about charm and smooth talk and a woman playing small. This is about qualifications and experience and temperament.

This is about a woman who has refused to take no for an answer.

She is standing for all of us.

In 2016, the most qualified person to be Commander in Chief of the United States is a woman.

About bloody time.