Female-headed households were especially disadvantaged at the outset of the Covid-19 crisis, and now appear to be recovering more slowly since a reopening of various socio-economic sectors.

This was based on findings from the second phase of a long-term study commissioned by United Nations agencies Unicef and UNFPA, which show livelihoods and the well-being of many low-income families in Kuala Lumpur have started to recover.

The study, performed between the start of the MCO period and September, however, found that the recovery is partial, uneven and uncertain, with female-headed households and families affected by disability being among the most vulnerable to future shocks, then other low-income households...