With more than a quarter of the population affected by unemployment, informal work is widespread, particularly among women and girls. According to the International Labour Organization (2009), informal employment in non-agricultural activities accounts for 58.3% of the labour force.

As in many other Central American countries, women are disproportionately affected by economic exclusion. In 2011, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics of Honduras, (Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas), only 1,221,543 women out of approximately three million were economically active.

This high level of economic insecurity pushes many young women and girls into the informal economy, even though this type of work is generally low-paying, offers little or no social protection and is characterized by weak governance. Informal work is most commonly found in small businesses and family-run businesses and includes street vending, the sale of basic goods, repair work, small-scale family activities, and service provision. In addition, the production, processing, and marketing systems often fail to guarantee wages equivalent to the legal minimum wage. When entering the labour market, women and girls frequently lack the necessary skills and experience, and therefore tend to occupy the lowest levels of the informal sector, where decent work opportunities are scarce.  Limited financial support, restricted access to technology, and lack of skills and knowledge all represent significant barriers to the formalization of this work.