“Purushārth” is not about male gender at all.

In Jain Dharma:

1. Meaning of “Purushārth” Purushārth = conscious, right effort of the soul towards its own uplift.

• “Purusha” here means jiva / atma (soul)
• “Arth” means goal / effort / purpose

So Purushārth = the inner effort by any soul (male or female, human or other) to move towards purity, reduce karma, and ultimately attain moksha.

2. Is it linked to male only? No.

• In Sanskrit/Hindi, “purush” can mean “man”, but in shastric use here it means spiritual being / conscious self, not “male”.
• Jain scriptures clearly say every soul has equal capacity for spiritual effort and liberation, depending on its karmas and inner effort.
• Women, men, third gender, all can do dharma, tapa, samayik, pratikraman, japa, dhyan – all this is Purushārth.

3. Four Purushārth (general Indian usage, also accepted in Jain context for worldly life) Sometimes you hear:

1. Dharma – living with non-violence, truth, restraint, duties
2. Artha – right earning, without himsa or deceit as far as possible
3. Kāma – controlled enjoyment within dharma-limits
4. Moksha – final liberation

Jain focus is always that all three (dharma, artha, kāma) should support moksha, not oppose it.

4. Jain-specific sense of Purushārth More specifically in Jainism, Purushārth means:

• Putting into practice Samyak Darshan, Samyak Jnān, Samyak Chāritra
• Making daily efforts like:

- Reducing anger, pride, deceit, greed - Doing samayik, pratikraman, upvas, swādhyāy, dhyān - Living with ahimsa in food, speech, and actions

Whoever does this is doing Purushārth – gender doesn’t matter.

You can also read a simple explanation of Purushārth in Jain life here