Weaving Roles and Lives: Understanding Experiences of Women Workers of the Carpet Industry in Bhaktapur, Nepal
- Nirjala PrajapatiDetails
20 September 2026/४ असोज २०८३ (आइतबार, दिउँसो ३ बजे)
Research Seminar Series
Weaving Roles and Lives: Understanding Experiences of Women Workers of the Carpet Industry in Bhaktapur, Nepal
Nirjala Prajapati, Educator and Teaching Fellow, Thames International College
Abstract
This study was conducted in the carpet weaving factories of Bhaktapur, Nepal. Handwoven carpets are produced in home-based looms categorized as informal small-scale industry. Informal work becomes a medium to migrate to Kathmandu for women from outside the Valley. Social networks based on kinship, friendship, and contact with mediators are important for these women to find work in the carpet factories. This study particularly looks into the labor processes, delves into women's perceptions of their work, their household responsibilities and sheds light on their health considerations. That analysis is used to conceptualize the perception of women regarding their work condition and oppression.
About the speaker
Nirjala Prajapati is a social work educator and teaching fellow under the Center for Teaching and Learning at Thames. She is also a coordinator of the Community Service Outreach Program. She has completed her BSW from Thames International College and MA in Social Work (Public Health) from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.