Answer

In Jainism, this is not a universal belief. The idea that women cannot attain nirvana comes mainly from the Digambara tradition. The Śvetāmbara tradition teaches that women can attain moksha.

Explanation

In Digambara Jainism, it is traditionally said that a soul must reach the highest state of renunciation in a male body to attain final liberation in that life. This view is based on traditional interpretations of the body, ascetic discipline, and the ideal of complete detachment.

In Śvetāmbara Jainism, women are considered fully capable of spiritual liberation. This tradition accepts that women can practice severe austerity, achieve keval jñāna, and attain moksha.

So the correct answer is:

• Digambara view: women do not attain final liberation in the present life.
• Śvetāmbara view: women can attain liberation.

Spiritual Understanding

Jain Dharma teaches that the soul has no gender. Gender belongs to the body, not to the pure आत्मा. From the deepest spiritual view, liberation depends on:

• right faith
• right knowledge
• right conduct
• complete freedom from attachment and karma

So the difference here is mainly a sect-based doctrinal interpretation, not the soul’s real capacity.

Takeaway

If someone says “women cannot get nirvana in Jainism,” that is only true in one Jain tradition, not in all Jainism. In the broader Jain spiritual vision, the soul itself is beyond gender, and liberation is the goal of every soul.