In Jainism, there are 24 Tirthankaras (ford-makers). There is a difference between the two main Jain traditions on whether women can be Tirthankaras.

• Digambara view: All Tirthankaras are male. They say a woman cannot achieve kevala jnana (omniscience) in the current cycle, so women cannot become Tirthankaras. This is why Digambaras traditionally do not name female Tirthankaras in their lists. You can read a summary of this difference on a Jain Knowledge page.

• Śvetāmbara view: There are female Tirthankaras as well. For Śvetāmbaras, Mallinātha (the 19th Tirthankara) is regarded as a female Tirthankara named Mallīnātha/Mallivāti in their tradition, showing that women can attain the status of a Tirthankara in this lineage. They also continue to list other female figures in their Tirthankara tradition. You can read more about this distinction in Jain Knowledge resources.

Key point: Both traditions share the goal of liberation, but they differ on the question of whether a woman can be a Tirthankara in the current age.