Alice Mary Higgins

Senator, Ireland,

Alice-Mary is an independent Senator and a lifelong advocate of social and economic equality. She is leader of the Civil Engagement group in Seanad Éireann, a group of six Senators with backgrounds in civil society and the NGO sector. She is a member of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Employment Affairs and Social Protection.

In the Seanad Alice-Mary has proposed, influenced and amended legislation on issues such as data protection, safe-guarding the environment, housing, family reunification, workers’ rights and measures to tackle violence against women. She has been a strong voice on international human rights, trade policy, peacebuilding and sustainable development. In the Employment Affairs and Social Protection Committee, Alice-Mary has pressed for a fair state pension system for women, better supports for lone parents and greater recognition for carers.

Prior to her election, Alice-Mary was Policy Coordinator at the National Women's Council of Ireland where she focused on a range of economic and social issues, including the gender pay and pension gap, care, reproductive rights and greater representation of women in all areas of life. In 2014 she was elected to the Executive of the European Women's Lobby.

Previously, Alice-Mary worked as an advocate for age equality with Older & Bolder and in campaigns and policy with Trócaire, with a strong focus on climate change. She also coordinated the Cómhlamh Anti-Racism project and has been active in many public campaigns and referenda.

Alice-Mary is a graduate of UCD with a degree in English and Philosophy. She holds an MPhil in Theatre and Cultural Studies from Trinity College Dublin and an MA from the New School for Social Research in New York. She is a Fulbright Scholar in the Humanities.

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