Femina Problematis Solvendis – Problem solving Woman: A History of the Creativity of Women explores the psychology of creativity and innovation, and the development of technology throughout human history with a focus on inventions by women.
Written by UniSA Professor of Engineering Innovation Prof David Cropley, the book highlights examples of innovative solutions developed by women and explores the history of modern human creativity. Prof Cropley explores innovations over 10 distinct ages of human history, beginning with prehistory, and moving up to the present information age. Each era is covered by a dedicated chapter that describes three key innovations that were either invented by a woman or can be plausibly attributed to a female inventor.
The title is a play on the scientific classifications of humans, with a distinct focus on inventions pioneered by women (femina) and is intended to suggest that a defining characteristic of modern humans is their fundamental ability to solve problems (problematis solvendis). The book’s focus on female inventors serves to highlight some of the ways women have been treated in societies over time and builds on Prof Cropley’s previous book Homo Problematis Solvendis – Problem-solving Man, published in 2019.
The book is published by Springer Singapore and is available online.