Answer

Yes, according to Jain doctrine, women are spiritually capable of attaining liberation.

However, there is a traditional difference between the two major Jain sects:

• Śvetāmbara tradition: Women can attain moksha directly from a female body.
• Digambara tradition: Women have the same soul-potential for liberation, but final liberation is attained after being reborn as a man.

Explanation

Jainism teaches that the soul has no gender in its pure form. Gender belongs to the body, not to the true nature of the soul. Every soul has the capacity to destroy karma and attain liberation through right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct.

The difference between Śvetāmbara and Digambara views is mainly about whether complete ascetic practice required for moksha can be fulfilled in a female body.

• Śvetāmbaras accept that women can become liberated while in a female body. They traditionally hold that Mallinātha, the 19th Tīrthaṅkara, was female.
• Digambaras hold that complete liberation requires conditions they believe are not possible in a female body, so a woman must first be reborn as a man before attaining moksha. They regard Mallinātha as male.

Spiritual Understanding

Both traditions agree on the deeper principle that the soul itself is capable of liberation. Jain Dharma does not consider the pure soul to be male or female. Liberation depends on the destruction of karma, not on worldly identity.

Takeaway

Women are fully recognized as capable of spiritual progress in Jain Dharma. The sectarian difference is only about whether final moksha can occur directly from a female body or after a future male birth.