PETALING JAYA: Women heads of households have a much higher deprivation score in each dimension of poverty than their male counterparts, revealed a study on the impacts of Covid-19 on poverty.
The Permatang Pauh Multi-dimensional Poverty Index (MPI) Report 2021 stated that these dimensions related to home teaching and learning, job or income loss, and discomfort brought by the Movement Control Order (MCO).
"The average education level score of single mothers is lower compared to the average heads of household schooling levels.
"The average basic income for heads of household is RM2,131.85 per month, compared to RM1,451.71 per month for those that are women-led," said Permatang Pauh MP, Nurul Izzah Anwar at the launch of the MPI report.
The report was officially launched by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed here, yesterday.
In his speech, he said the MPI could be replicated across other constituencies to produce a more comprehensive poverty management.
He also stressed on the need for bi-partisan cooperation to comprehensively tackle and eradicate poverty in Malaysia - and to eventually reach 3.7 percent by 2025.
From the perspective of child poverty, Nurul said almost all indicators related to the Covid-19 dimensions showed high exclusion rates, such as per capita expenditure on food, and home teaching and learning.
The MPI study which accounted for the measurement of deprivation in home teaching and learning among children during Covid-19 was the first to be conducted in Malaysia.
"This finding which shows the high levels of exclusion in food expenditure per capita indicates that poor families cannot afford to buy adequate food, with children facing critical levels of food poverty, represented by almost 60 percent of households in the study sample," she said.
The MPI study was conducted with the help of Prof Dr Fatimah Kari, former economics professor and director at the School of Poverty and Development director at the University of Malaya.
Nurul said drafting of the 12th Malaysia Plan was also more challenging compared to the previous five-year plan as absolute poverty has increased to 8.4 per cent in 2020 due to Covid-19.
In line with the MPI findings, she reiterated the need to utilise gender based lenses in the planning and spending of the government's Budget 2022, as well considering universal child benefits.