I heard that the reason for this minhag is that one is not allowed to benefit from the chanuka licht. Not doing tasks during this time makes sure that one is not using the lights. If this is the case, one could argue, that this would apply to things that require light, but not to things that don’t require the use of ligh. One could also argue that, b’zman hazeh, when we have well-lit homes and there is no worry about using the lights inappropriately, then it would also not apply.
Of course, there are other reasons brought down, such as the fact that a big part of the nes happened through a woman. So, in either case, go with the family minhag and/or ask a posek.