Classic political resource theories developed in the Global North posit that labor force participation enhances women’s political engagement by increasing their income, civic skills and bargaining power within the household. But do such theories apply to informal employment, the dominant form of work for women across the Global South? In this paper, I argue that informal employment, despite being far less remunerative and secure, can still positively shape political engagement. Specifically, jobs that require women to leave the home and build networks beyond their households are most likely to generate political capacity. To test this theory, I conducted a survey of 1,635 employed and 500 unemployed women in urban north India. Regression analyses show informal employment is associated with 1.2 to 1.7 additional claims made in the past year, a substantial increase over baseline. Effects are stronger in market-based jobs where women leave the house and interact with others. This paper contributes to literature on the determinants of women’s political participation and the political consequences of women’s employment, and offers new policy insights for the future of women’s work.