After decades of struggle, a male majority in Basel-Stadt voted 50 years ago in favor of introducing women's suffrage. This made Basel the first German-speaking canton in Switzerland to take this step, even before the nationwide introduction in 1971. The present publication reconstructs the five voting rounds that were necessary for the breakthrough in 1966. It analyzes the arguments against the political equality of women, which are now difficult to comprehend, the differing positions of the parties, and the reasons for the gradual change that occurred in the 1950s and 60s. The voting debates are understood as a reflection of societal conditions, and the subject of the vote, women's suffrage, is seen as a means to participate equally in all political matters and advocate for specific interests.