On the 8th Februrary 2016, Senator Higgins launched the Age Action Report which detailed how the changes introduced in 2012 to pension entitlements had a disproportionately negative impact on women.
Senator Higgins had contributed to the research for this report which was written by Maureen Bassett and commissioned by Age Action. The changes introduced in 2012 disadvantaged many of the same women who had been impacted by the legacy of past injustices such as the marriage bar.
Senator Higgins has previously campaigned for just pension reform in her roles with Older and Bolder and the National Women's Council of Ireland, in particular addressing the gender pension gap. As a member of the Social Protection committee, she continues to bring the systemic gender inequality in Ireland's pension system to the agenda.
The launch of this report was covered in the Irish Independent,
Senator Alice-Mary Higgins, leader of the Civil Engagement Group and chair of the Oireachtas Peace Neutrality and Disarmament group has extended her warm congratulations to former Colombian President, Juan Manuel Santos, who was awarded the Tipperary Peace Prize last Friday.
Speaking as part of the European parliamentary week, Senator Higgins spoke of the need to focus on measuring quality employment rather than level of employment. She included issues of precarious work and the lack of collective bargaining as concerns.
