The debates this election season continue to heat up, not only among the candidates, but among voters making the case for who they believe should be our next president. I've made my decision. I'm voting for Hillary Clinton. And no, it's not just because she's a woman. But it's certainly a factor.

You can choose whatever criteria you wish to make your decision about who to vote for in this year's elections. But to tell me, and countless other women, that we can't or shouldn't consider gender not only diminishes our intelligence but minimizes our experiences.

Gender matters. No, gender is not a qualification for running a country, but it matters. Gender affects every aspect of one’s life. It shapes our experiences and our worldview. And while in an election, we may want to focus on policy and campaign promises, disregarding any candidate's lived experiences is simply illogical.

We live in a country where, despite our pledged allegiance to equality, women still make $.79 to a man’s dollar, and that’s before you factor in race. We live in a country where women's bodies and decisions are under attack by laws mostly made by men. We live in a country where only slightly over 300 women have ever served in the United States Congress.

To hear other feminists say that gender is trivial saddens me. I want to live in a country, or a world, where gender is truly not a factor in how people are treated and how they live their lives. But we’re not there yet. Gender affects how Clinton is perceived and talked about by the media, and how she's viewed by voters. So we can’t act like it doesn’t count. If you don't want to take it into consideration when deciding who to vote for, that's perfectly fine. But dismissing gender entirely only helps the people who never have to consider it.

There are many who believe that the United States electing a woman is an inevitability. And hopefully, that's true. But until that happens, it remains yet another glass ceiling, yet another place that is out of reach for half of the population. Nothing changes until it does. A woman becoming president is not inconsequential, and as we consider who should lead our country, we should consider that, too.

There are many young, Democratic women who have made the decision to vote for Clinton's opponent, Bernie Sanders. And I believe that their motivation rests solely in their beliefs. But I do understand the frustrations of older feminists who see an impressive, accomplished, experienced woman running for office — who is still, in 2015, being told that she's not enough when faced with a male competitor.

But like I said, my vote isn't being cast for gender. The thing is, my beliefs, and my belief of what is truly possible in our current political climate, align me with Clinton's policies and make me believe she's the right person for the job.