One of the more interesting differences between the two major sects of the Jains, the Svetambars and Digambars, lies in their attitude to women. Unlike the Digambars, who view women as spiritually inferior to men, the Svetambars avow that women are the spiritual equals of men. Whilst to the best of my knowledge scholars have not yet uncovered the reasons why the two sects should differ on this matter it seems that the Svetambar stance may have in part been influenced by a rather perspicacious and clear-sighted recognition of the importance of female support to a minority religious sect and the very crucial role that women play, not only in physically reproducing new Jain members, but also in the social reproduction of the community and its constituent institutions.

An examination of all the various ways in which the Jain community reproduces itself is beyond the scope of this chapter. Instead, I confine the discussion to ways in which women contribute to the reproductive process, a sphere in which, certainly in the Jain case, they play a particularly significant part.

Before looking at this question it is essential to consider the nature of the community which is reproduced. One of the major problems facing the investigator is that the Jains do not form a homogeneous entity but are broken up into a plethora of both secular and religious divisions.