A conservative pundit thinks that women who read women's magazines want to be informed about shoes, not politics. A Fox News host recently suggested that young women skip the voting booth in 2014 and go on Match.com instead. Ridiculous statements, sure, but these comments are also proof that there are some very vocal people out there who believe that women don't care about political issues or have the inclination to vote.
We know that's not true -- and that women's votes really matter. Fifty-three percent of voters in 2012 were women. And it's unmarried women, who make up about 25 percent of eligible voters, who helped Barack Obama win the presidential election in both 2008 and 2012.
In 2014, legislation that could significantly impact reproductive rights is on the ballot in three states, the wage gap is still going strong, and women are overwhelmingly impacted by the state of the economy (reminder: 40 percent of U.S. families now have female breadwinners). In other words, women have a huge stake in the leaders that will be elected during the midterms and the policies those leaders put into action.
As Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief Joanna Coles recently said on NPR: "I have no problem understanding that women are interested in mascara and the Middle East." We can buy shoes and talk about sex, and care deeply about economic policy, access to health care and the way our government approaches foreign conflict.
Here are just a few of the reasons we at HuffPost Women will be casting our votes in 2014:
In the spirit of encouraging women everywhere to get out and vote, we also asked women we admire to give us one reason why they're exercising their civic duty this November. Here's what 27 of them had to say:
1. Melissa Etheridge
2. Andi Dorfman
3. Abbi Jacobson
Comedian, Star and Co-Creator of "Broad City"
4. Feminista Jones
Writer, Activist
5. Delia Ephron
6. Logan Levkoff
Sexologist, Expert on "Married At First Sight"
7. Vanessa Simmons
Actress, Star of "Run's House"
8. Hayley Saltzman
Social Media Editor, Bustle.com
9. Monica Potter
Actress, "Parenthood"
10. Ilana Glazer
Comedian, Star and Co-Creator of "Broad City"
11. Meredith Bennett-Smith
Identities Editor, Mic.com
12. Faizun Kamal
Founder, sourceFK
13. Elizabeth Plank
Senior Editor, Mic.com
14. Jean Kilbourne
15. Jenny Kutner
Assistant Editor, Salon.com
16. Lynda Lopez
Journalist, Co-Founder of the Lopez Family Foundation
17. Stella Bugbee
Editorial Director, The Cut
18. Joanna Rothkopf
Assistant Editor, Salon.com
19. Beverly Gooden
20. Jane Pratt
Founding Editor of Sassy and Jane, Editor of xoJane.com
21. Zerlina Maxwell
22. Anushay Hossain
23. Lisa Miller
Contributing Editor, New York Magazine
24. Phoebe Robinson
Comedian, Writer for Glamour.com, Creator of Blaria.com
25. Alicia Menendez
26. Alyona Minkovski
27. Arianna Huffington
Chair, President, and Editor-In-Chief of the Huffington Post Media Group
Why are you going out to the polls on November 4th? Let us know on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #WhyImVoting. We'll feature your responses in a slideshow here.
