Dr. Hatoon Al Fassi and Saudi Arabia Suffrage

In a speech in late September, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia announced that women will have the right to vote and run in municipal elections beginning in the year 2015. Women will also participate in the Shura Council, which advises the king.

All this represents a historic turning point for Saudi Arabia, which still requires women to seek permission from men in order to drive, to seek higher education, and to keep their children in the event of divorce.  Latitudes host Gwen Thompkins spoke with Women’s History scholar Dr. Hatoon Al Fassi, who teaches in Saudi Arabia.