Kathmandu, Jan. 18 -- Padmini Bajracharya has been working for nearly 40 years. But she has never worked in the formal sector.

Her workplace is her home at Gabhal, Lalitpur, where she knits woolen garments.

"I neither sell these products nor do I run a company that exports these items. I only make them," said Bajracharya, 54. "All my life, I have worked from home and earned whatever I could while doing my household chores."

Bajracharya receives raw materials such as spools of wool and thread to make sweaters, gloves, and caps. In return, she is paid per piece of clothing she makes-a few thousand rupees a month.

"If I were to work like a full-time job, I could earn good money. But I do it only when I have time after completing househol...