Male employs goddesses (5)
I believe the answer is:
muses
'goddesses' is the definition.
(the muses of Greek mythology)
'male employs' is the wordplay.
'male' becomes 'm' (common abbreviation).
'employs' becomes 'uses' ('use' can be a synonym of 'employ').
'm'+'uses'='MUSES'
(Other definitions for muses that I've seen before include "Clio, Euterpe, Terpsichore etc" , "Nine goddesses, inspirations for artists" , "Nine goddesses of the liberal arts" , "Nine sister goddesses presiding over the arts" , "Nine Greek and Roman goddesses presiding over the arts" .)