1. Introduction

– Research Questions During the introduction of the research, two questions have raised. First of all, it seems to be easier to measure the success in the drug programs, comparing to providing insight into the reasons why the changes have to be made. Therefore, through this research, I would like to find out the evidence that supported the changes in the drug problem made between the past 10 years. It is necessary to address the changing of the drug problems – instead of reviewing the measures to improve the current situation. Secondly, seeking the reasons to explain the changes in current drug problems, the research could explore the potential causative and contributory factors that drive the changes.- Background Information This research is based on the city of Birmingham, although changes in the drug problem do appear to be similar in many of the urban centers throughout the UK. Birmingham city is located in the West Midlands, which is the fourth larger city in England. According to the UK national treatment outcome research study in 2006, there were over 280,000 problematic drug users in England. In Birmingham, the work done by the Birmingham Community Safety Partnership and the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse has recorded 11,285 people received treatment for drugs or alcohol problems during 2004/05. However, it is worth saying the UK’s drug strategy focuses on rehabilitation, not punishment. The public in the UK mostly takes drug problems as a public health problem. In the current UK drug strategy 2008-2018, the seven areas of the outcomes were given, and the completion and the success of these strategic directions are going to be measured on the plan’s life of 10 years to improve the government’s drug strategy. Last but not least, plenty of funding and supporting organizations to reach these 7 outcomes data, that is one of the reasons that the research will focus more on the changes of the UK’s drug problem rather than other countries.- The Purpose of the Study The main focus of the research is to evidence the changes in the drug problem in the past ten years and find out the reasons that caused these changes. It is going to identify the UK’s current model and own response about drugs. The research aims to provide a whole new approach to understanding how drug problems change and reasons for changes, necessary to address the changing of the trends as well. Also, the research may give more impetus to examine community-based responses and use the successful UK model to develop a wider international strategy regarding the control of the drug problem.The drug problem is global and affects an immense amount of the world’s population, but still, there is no effective way to alleviate it. Drug abuse is something that can affect a person’s life, leading to painful lessons being learned and personal freedom being snatched away in that jail cell of isolation, locked away in a world of addicted misery. Combating the drug problem is one of the main goals for many global organizations. Not all of the individuals suffering from drug abuse are strangers – their family, friends, and also the community will be affected by the drug problems. This research aims to find the changes in the drug problem and seek the reasons to explain the changes. The research seeks to examine the UK situation with respect to illicit drug use and related anti-social and criminal behavior. Also, the step of the successful UK model and the responded effectiveness for the current drug problem is going to be analyzed. The research hopes to provide insight into the main reasons causing the changes in the drug problems.

1.1. Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of the study is to seek evidence of changes in the drug problem in recent years. It hopes to do so through the cross-analysis of existing qualitative and quantitative studies on the issue, combined with the empirical study conducted by our research team. The study will not only provide an overview of the current and historical changes in the drug problem, but also identify the limitations in the existing research. This would, to some extent, lay the foundation of future research in this area. Last but not least, after providing the current evidence of the drug problem through the literature review and the empirical study, the study will then focus on different strategies and intervention measures found in the current policies. Well evidenced own “Dunning-Kruger” effect, and the bad side of it. Create more significant theories/examples and modify the words.

1.2. Background Information

There have been many previous studies on drug users and drug-related crimes. The first large-scale epidemiological study of drug dependence in the United States was the Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) study. Conducted from 1979 to 1991, this study surveyed non-institutionalized individuals in five communities across the United States. It found that about 76 percent of those with a “contact” diagnosis of drug dependence also had a diagnosis of a co-occurring mental health disorder. More recently, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has conducted the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). This is the primary source of statistical information on substance use in the U.S. and is directed at identifying prevention and treatment needs. The survey interviews approximately 70,000 randomly selected individuals, who are 12 years or older, on an annual basis. This study has continuously been funded from 1991 and has an infrastructure designed to evolve and also take advantage of advancements in survey methodology. Lastly, one of the newest and most comprehensive studies on drug abuse is the GAIN (The Global Appraisal of Individual Needs) study, conducted by Chestnut Health Systems. This study not only includes questions about a wide range of mental health and substance use disorders, but also collects administrative data. It aims to be able to provide a comprehensive assessment of individuals with potential need for substance abuse treatment. Through the collection of biological, psychological, and administrative data concurrently, there is potential for this study to provide valuable insight into both the physiological traits of a drug user and the effectiveness of certain publicly funded treatment programs. Such programs have been the focus of the majority of this type of study, since policy makers need evidence for the efficacy of the programs that they are funding. These studies could potentially give insight into the most effective ways to structure treatment programs and it is evident that is an area that warrants more research. This has been the focus of many investigative studies, which can help inform the qualitative literature that is available. Given the recent practical and political shifts towards greater integration of biological and psychological treatment methods, these studies are also vital in giving understanding to the law and lawmakers. Such evidence-based results may be used in amending substances of the Controlled Substances Act and in providing scientific support for new and novel addiction treatments. All of these studies share the common goal of providing actionable data that may inform policymakers and treatment facilities alike. Coupled with the shift towards biological and standardized qualitative studies, there is great potential for a more effective and well-informed legislative front against drug abuse and misuse. These studies are ongoing, committing to providing accurate and up-to-date statistics reflecting the prevalent nature of drug abuse in today’s society. This, along with the advance of technology crucial to biological analyses, holds much promise for the coming fight against drug abuse and is a sphere in which great progress is expected over the next few decades.

1.3. Research Questions

Research questions are important and necessary in guiding the collection of evidence and the analysis of data. In this study, the research questions are specifically focused on offering an understanding of the trends in drug-related crimes and the criminal justice system in combating crime. The research questions are succinctly and precisely stated with the research objectives. Firstly, the study seeks to find out whether specific demographic factors such as gender, race, and age can be used to explain the differences in the patterns of drug abuse and dependence syndrome in the United States. The demographic factors have been included in the DSM-IV classification for drug dependence syndrome and abuse. Previous studies have reported significant differences in relation to the prevalence of drug abuse and dependence syndrome according to the type of drugs. Would similar findings be found in relation to the type of drugs, in particular cocaine abuse? A third question that future research can consider is whether there are specific social and economic consequences associated with drug abuse. Research into cocaine abuse has recently focused upon what is known as the drug abuse pathway. Various studies have found evidence for the fact that adolescent drug abuse leads to further adult dependence. Adolescents who persistently abuse drugs often experience an array of problems including academic difficulties, health problems, poor peer relationships, and involvement in serious drug abuse. Adolescents’ brains are still in the developmental stage, and prolonged drug abuse can alter the developmental course of the brain and can result in the patient not being able to control his actions and even his emotions. All of these may warrant further investigation. Promising candidates for the neurobiological effects of drug withdrawal can include, for example, the corticotropin-releasing hormonal system and systems related to the locus coeruleus. Future research may wish to focus on the subjective senses of distress and attempts to cope from the various types of withdrawal symptomatology. The research questions are likely to provide guidance on the pathways and getting the most from your efforts. Future research can focus on the validity of a particular theory. For instance, whether the focus on the genetic basis for cocaine abuse is more justified than a focus on the genetic basis for alcohol abuse. Future research can also seek to study the differences in the healthcare provision and health outcomes for other nations as well.

2. Methodology

2.1. Data Collection

2.2. Sampling Techniques

2.3. Data Analysis

3. Trends in Drug Use

3.1. Historical Overview

3.2. Current Drug Use Patterns

3.3. Demographic Factors

4. Drug-Related Crimes

4.1. Types of Drug-Related Crimes

4.2. Regional Variations

4.3. Impact on Society

5. Treatment and Rehabilitation

5.1. Available Treatment Options

5.2. Success Rates

5.3. Challenges in Rehabilitation

6. Prevention and Education

6.1. School-Based Programs

6.2. Community Initiatives

6.3. Campaigns and Awareness

7. Policy and Legislation

7.1. Current Drug Policies

7.2. Effectiveness of Legal Measures

7.3. International Cooperation

8. Social and Economic Consequences

8.1. Impact on Families

8.2. Economic Burden

8.3. Public Health Concerns

9. Emerging Drug Trends

9.1. New Substances

9.2. Online Drug Markets

9.3. Changing Consumption Patterns

10. Evaluating Intervention Programs

10.1. Program Design and Implementation

10.2. Outcome Evaluation

10.3. Best Practices

11. Conclusion

11.1. Summary of Findings

11.2. Implications for Future Research

11.3. Recommendations

1. Introduction

In addition, in the last few years, technology’s presence in the healthcare field has been increasing. It is changing the way in which doctors and nurses use technology to provide care, and it’s constantly evolving. In as little as ten years, technology has revolutionized the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. So, this article “Technology’s Expanding Role in Nursing and Medicine” will provide a comprehensive overview of how technology has expanded in the healthcare field and its impact on modern medicine. The aim of this work is to change and eliminate society’s current view of nurses and help make a difference in the standard of care. As technology has evolved, and will continue to do so, healthcare professionals must keep up with these changes. This article will reflect the potential research area as the discoveries about technology in today’s modern world are growing, and new technological methods are being introduced in the medical field. Moreover, understanding what harm and benefits may come from technology is crucial. This is because the development of new technologies continually raises new ethical issues for healthcare. Some know that nurses and doctors usually have more well-defined roles. For example, it is usually expected that at the start of a shift, a doctor will take blood pressures and temperature checks in order to detect which patients are deteriorating, and then review the list of jobs that nurses can teach and manage throughout the day. However, this has long been associated with a view that is targeted towards old age, and especially in modern times, patients are much more than just ill people waiting for help and treatment. This is where technology and a modern evolving world come in to change both the capabilities of the treatment and the way in which information is collected, stored, and applied. Also, as the way in which data is recorded and shared continues to develop and increase, so too does the prospect of telemedicine and other innovations to support new and more efficient ways of providing care and treatment. However, it is important that nurses have a key place in the development and application of such technology.

1.1. Definition of Technology in Healthcare

Technology is increasingly integrated into our daily patient care. In the title-defense part, medical technology is defined as the application of organized knowledge and skills in the form of devices, medicines, vaccines, procedures, and systems developed to solve a health problem and improve the quality of lives. It is important to state that technology cannot replace the quality of support, care, and presence of nurses and providers in healthcare. Technology in health is also broadly defined as the advanced technology provided to the public for medical purposes. This definition includes a wide range of products and services, such as medical devices, electronic health records (EHRs), telemedicine, health IT, and even consumer-grade health and wellness products. In conclusion, technology has completely revolutionized the way in which we administer patient care and can not only improve the quality of life of patients but also make the process of delivering care more efficient. This shift towards a greater and more diverse use of technology is likely to intensify in the next few years. Innovations are not just about creating something completely new, but it is about taking existing technology and making it work more efficiently, which in turn helps improve patient care by finding solutions to health problems. Well done on completing this section! Now the researcher introduced a new word – “informatology”. We know technology is used in its broadest sense and it is termed as medical informatics or health informatics. This is actually a scientific process where human health information is analyzed in a formal and organized way and which makes it possible to gain new insights and discover new knowledge that can be fed back into improving patient care. For example, with the use of electronic health records for nursing research, a researcher can analyze records from many different patients to reveal new patterns and can publish their findings in important research journals. This is testimony to the fact that nursing and patient care is now enhanced through the use of technology. Also, another level of analysis can be made, such as studying how different types of patients have responded to a particular therapy so that our knowledge on health can be broadened. With the day-to-day advancements in medical technology, nurses and providers need to stay ahead of this curve and embrace the innovative change to improve patient outcomes and the process of delivering care. Therefore, technology has not only played a role in the academic and professional development of informatics, but it has also revolutionized the field of nursing. Providing patients with more comprehensive and better quality of care and maintaining the ways to find the most cost-effective solutions throughout the patient’s life are the critical priorities of the health system in the United States. Among other healthcare reforms, the significance of quality improvement is highlighted which can promote the nation’s capacity to offer better patient care. Well implemented and used technology can enhance these aspects.

1.2. Importance of Technology in Nursing and Medicine

Another benefit of the use of technology in nursing and medicine is the development of treatments only possible using this technology. An example of this is the Da Vinci Surgical System. This high-tech device is the only robotic surgical system approved by the Food and Drug Administration for soft tissue surgery. Soft tissue surgery is surgery to the body excluding the bones, so this type of surgery covers most surgeries that are performed. With traditional surgery, a doctor might make a large incision in the body in order to see the organs and to do the surgery. This causes major pain and trauma to the body and a long recovery period for the patient. Now, with the use of the Da Vinci Surgical System, a patient has to go through less than a quarter inch incision, some of the time this can be as small as a centimeter. This is because the machine is made up of three components: an ergonomically designed console where the surgeon sits, a patient side-cart with the four robotic arms that move around and hold surgical instruments, and a vision cart with the magnifying camera. The magnifying camera gives the surgeon a high definition, 3D view of the surgical site at up to 10 times magnification. This is far better than the human eye and allows the surgeon to be more precise and accurate when undertaking the surgery. The robotic arms attach to the instruments that the surgeon will use during the surgery and these can pivot and move in all directions, giving the surgeon a full range of motion and precision. Also, the surgeon has to control every aspect of the surgical procedure from the console, meaning that they are not exposed to any harmful radiation and can be seated in a position which is better for their posture. This accuracy and precision means that blood loss is kept to a minimum, which is a major benefit of the technology for patients. In addition to this, the wound and the scarring after surgery is much less because of the smaller incision made, which promotes healing and allows for a faster recovery time. Furthermore, there is reduced pain and the need for less pain relief as the surgery is much less invasive than in traditional surgery. This is just one example of the growing significance of technology in our world. Just over a century ago, the thought of

1.3. Purpose of the Work

Following a historical overview of the development in nursing and medicine, this work focuses on the current state of development in nursing and medicine. The aims of this work are the following. Firstly, this work concentrates on accessible technology. In the section on the current application, many technologies were introduced, like smartphones and telemedicine. Comparing to technologies such as electronic health and telehealth, the student raised an interesting example that he lined his phone with a third party. This tells us that the drastic development of technology helps to get a feeling of certain family isolation. Secondly, this work concentrates on the role of technology and the legal practice. As it has been shown in the benefits of technology section, technology has enhanced patient care. Healthcare workers found information in one place easily and this reduced their administration time. However, there’s a point made by the student that healthcare workers may increasingly look to take part in a technology that is intuitive. And this may put different pressure on the legal, technological, and ethical standpoint when patient-effective and judgment-based technologies are integrated into practice. The last but not least aim of the work is about the future health and social care provision. By using current, historical, and technological philosophies, the students want to produce a vision of future healthcare provision and how existing and developing technology will better outcomes for treatment and care. The student mentioned that with the development of technology, they might expect nursing and medicine in the future to increasingly combine the biological and the technological as the knowledge from the Human Genome Project will be used and patients as a genome rather than being a symptom provided through massive and standardized data. In general, the current population is becoming more and more mature. Technology is opening up new potential for treatment and social care. As technology develops, resources become more efficient and, perhaps significantly, more personalized. Therefore, there is a successful work that has been bringing benefits from the outcomes of. Work of this kind serves to show how the power of technology enhances healthcare strategy and solutions. All in all, this piece of work shows significant work and there are many good reflective progress in completion in the project. Finally, the student hopes that the future discussed in this essay and the dream of integration of technology of care of wellness will move from science fiction to reality.

2. Historical Overview

2.1. Early Technological Advancements in Healthcare

2.2. Evolution of Technology in Nursing and Medicine

2.3. Milestones in Technological Innovations

3. Current Applications

3.1. Electronic Health Records (EHRs)

3.2. Telemedicine and Telehealth

3.3. Wearable Devices in Healthcare

4. Benefits of Technology in Nursing and Medicine

4.1. Enhanced Patient Care and Safety

4.2. Improved Efficiency and Workflow

4.3. Access to Real-Time Data

5. Challenges and Limitations

5.1. Privacy and Security Concerns

5.2. Technological Infrastructure and Accessibility

5.3. Resistance to Adoption and Training Needs

6. Future Trends and Innovations

6.1. Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare

6.2. Robotics and Automation in Medical Procedures

6.3. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality in Medical Education

7. Ethical Considerations

7.1. Ethical Use of Patient Data

7.2. Impact on the Provider-Patient Relationship

7.3. Ethical Issues in Technological Advancements

8. Conclusion

8.1. Summary of Technology’s Role in Nursing and Medicine

8.2. Implications for the Future

8.3. Final Thoughts

1. Introduction

Since the early 1990s, scholars have recognized that violent conflict in Somalia has had profoundly adverse effects on the country’s development. In 1994, a UN Special Report commented on the difficulty in applying traditional development assistance in post-conflict environments such as Somalia, where the foundations for effective policy – the state, the society and the economy – were largely absent. For decades, Somalia has been the prime example of liberal peacebuilding, a form of development practice that theorizes peace as the primary condition for the success of aid and governance programs. Paradoxically, the authors argue, this focus on peace may be perpetuating a clientelist political economy that has been identified as one of the key barriers to political progress in the country. Although the theoretical prospects of this work have been realized to some extent, in that the focus on peace status as the indicator of success and failure in Somalia has resulted in political inclusivity being sidelined in favor of a power devolution model based on Western democratic ideology. This situation arises due to the shift towards ‘hybrid’ Western-led peace missions in recent years, the authors argue, and has significant implications because the limited levels of political legitimacy found at local level has been recognized as one of the key factors contributing to the failure of peacebuilding in Somalia. The report also provides preliminary account of the perils of such an approach for the current UK political situation, in that the lack of legitimacy in the ruling structure of Somalia has been identified by Al-Shabaab as a major recruitment tool. Such a case study offers policymakers a unique demonstration of the importance at local, societal level of the kind of political engagement that this paper is calling for on an international scale. I hope to answer this question, given a range of political actions and theories.

1.1 Background

The instability caused by the collapse of the Somali state in 1991 has led to a protracted and brutal civil war, which continues to devastate the country today. Somalia is widely regarded as one of the most extreme examples of a complex humanitarian emergency. This is a critical concept that will be explored in this report – it is defined by the United Nations as ‘a humanitarian crisis in a country, region or society where there is total collapse of authority, where there is no government and no institutions, and most people cannot live a normal life’. However, providing effective aid for over 25 years of conflict and in such a complex contested environment presents numerous and formidable challenges for aid workers, leading to significant policy and operational debates vis-a-vis foreign aid programmes in the country. These have been the focus of increasing attention in the region over recent years. In particular, the literature has explored the assumptions that aid agencies work under in such environments, the impacts of security concerns and the links to the wider global ‘war on terror’, and questions of how localised knowledge and the participation of Somali civil society in aid projects can be integrated into programme designs. Also, the effectiveness of aid programmes in relation to the shifts in the political and military strategies of the international community has been questioned. This has given rise to what has been described as a ‘political approach’ to the study of international aid influence. This represents a conceptual challenge to some accepted notions that aid leads the prospects for and direction of development. Also, this approach draws attention to the role played by aid in defining the agendas and actions of states in the international system.

1.2 Purpose

The main purpose of this study is to assess the impact of the war on terror that began in 2001 on the effectiveness of foreign aid in Somalia. The study seeks to establish whether the increased allocation of aid to volatile countries with weak governments made these countries safer or whether it encouraged more war and violence. From the current conflict in Somalia, the study will try to model the situation in the less to moderately conflict-affected world countries to see whether an increase in foreign aid different results in terms of stabilizing a situation when the conflict duration changes. The study will also seek to find out whether any additional controls could be carried out in the less to moderately affected countries to better understand the effect of different types of aid in different conflict duration. The findings will also help in understanding the current situation in Somalia and it is going to be a guide on what is supposed to be done in the war on terror. The study will help government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other stakeholders in coming up with effective foreign aid strategies and policies in war on terror affected countries.

1.3 Scope

In chapter 1.3, the focus is on explaining what is meant by foreign aid as “the voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another.” It also explains the types of foreign aid, which are military or defense aid, emergency humanitarian aid (food, medicine, shelter, etc., given in response to a disaster), bilateral aid (one country directly giving aid to another), and multilateral aid (countries or organizations pooling contributions into a larger fund). The chapter goes on to argue how it is important to consider the “potential for aid to become politicized and the damaging effects this can have.” This is developed further in chapter 1.6, where it is explained how aid can sometimes be used as a political tool in support of a friendly government, to the detriment of the recipient’s “right to development.” This notion of aid being used for ulterior motives is furthered by chapter 1.8, which discusses different ‘theoretical perspectives’ on what motivates foreign aid. For instance, it explores whether or not aid is given in pursuit of economic development or could be used to maintain ‘relative power’, concluding that both explanations are plausible. Lastly, the scope of the chapter and what the rest of the report is going to focus on is summed up in chapter 1.9. It is made clear that the remainder of the report is focused upon understanding the underlying causal links between poverty and the effects of the ‘global system’. In other words, the rest of the essay is trying to identify how the various factors presented in chapter 1.4 (the ‘vicious circle’ described above) interact with one another to produce and maintain levels of poverty.

2. Historical Context of War in Somalia

2.1 Causes of Conflict

2.2 Duration and Impacts

2.3 International Intervention

3. Impact of War on Foreign Aid

3.1 Disruption of Infrastructure

3.2 Humanitarian Crisis

3.3 Decreased Economic Stability

4. Role of Peacebuilding Efforts

4.1 Peacekeeping Missions

4.2 Reestablishing Governance

4.3 Rebuilding Infrastructure

5. Challenges in Providing Foreign Aid

5.1 Security Concerns

5.2 Corruption and Mismanagement

5.3 Lack of Coordination

6. International Organizations and Foreign Aid

6.1 United Nations Assistance

6.2 World Bank Initiatives

6.3 Non-Governmental Organizations

7. Case Studies on Foreign Aid in Somalia

7.1 Humanitarian Aid Distribution

7.2 Development Projects

7.3 Capacity Building Programs

8. Evaluation of Foreign Aid Effectiveness

8.1 Impact on Poverty Alleviation

8.2 Sustainable Development Goals

8.3 Lessons Learned

9. Conclusion

9.1 Summary of Findings

9.2 Recommendations for Future Aid Strategies

1. Economic Empowerment

The issue of economic empowerment is a broad topic that requires keen attention to solve. However, the government has proposed several acts to combat the challenges faced by women. These include The Paycheck Fairness Act, The Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act, and more. By enabling these acts to be enacted, the future for economic empowerment of women can be brighter.Creating and managing a good work environment for women is also a major concern. Out of 2,000 women surveyed by the Center for Talent Innovation, 43% said they intended to leave their corporate jobs within the next two years; 53% of those women cited a hostile work environment as the reason for leaving. In fact, women who are the “only” or the “one of the only” female in their business are twice as likely to be sexually harassed compared to women in gender-balanced business. With the widespread use of the internet and the rise of social media, cyber harassment is also on the rise and women are more and more the targets of online sexual harassment. As technology is now more easily accessible, so is online sexual harassment. It is very difficult to fight against cyber harassment because the perpetrators can hide their real identities. This creates a difficult environment for women, which can deter them from working or going online.While women have seen economic progress over the years, the absence of paid family and medical leave and balancing work and life remains a huge challenge for working women. This applies to businesses with less than 50 employees as employers are not required to grant medical leave. Ensuring workers can earn paid sick days is also a major issue for women. Women with full-time, year-round jobs are nearly a third more likely than men to lack paid sick days. Last but not least, affordable childcare is necessary for a family – children need a safe environment to grow and learn. However, finding quality childcare that is affordable is a big problem for working families. The high cost of childcare often forces families to make tough economic choices – in fact, a study shows that nearly half of parents have cut back work hours or left a job to care for a child. It is particularly frustrating for women as they make up the majority of the minimum-wage work force, where flexible work hours are not always available. In addition, putting children in childcare also leads to problems at work. Without the knowledge that the child is in good hands, many parents feel stress at work, leading to more sick days or concentration issues.Women also make less money than men who work similar jobs. This is referred to as the gender pay gap. As of April 2018, full-time working women in the United States only earned 82% of what full-time working men make. The gender pay gap is much worse for women of color. African American women are paid 61% and Latina women are paid 53% less than white men. This means that in order to make the same amount of money that a man makes in one year, a woman would have to work for the entire year as well as the first three months of the next year. There is no single cause for the gender pay gap. Rather, it is a complex issue that can be attributed to many different factors. One of these factors is occupational segregation – the idea that men and women tend to work in different types of jobs.Economic opportunities for women remain scarce. In the business world, it is difficult for women to get corporate leadership positions. In fact, only 6.6% of all Fortune 500 companies are run by women. One of the reasons that few women reach these high-level positions is the “glass ceiling.” The glass ceiling is an invisible barrier that prevents women and minorities from moving up in the world because of discriminatory practices. There are many laws in place that are meant to keep discrimination out of the workplace. For example, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes it illegal for employers to discriminate against employees on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, or religion. However, the glass ceiling remains a serious problem.

1.1 Gender Pay Gap

The gender pay gap is a critical issue affecting many women today. The “pay gap” is the difference in earnings between women and men. On average, women working full-time in the United States are paid just 80 percent of what men are paid. This gap is even greater for most women of colour: African American women who work full time, year round are paid only 61 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men, and Latinas are paid only 53 cents. The pay gap is real and it hurts women and their families. This is a concern for many women voters, as indicated by the AAUW, who state that 78 percent of women surveyed said that the gender pay gap is an important issue – even more women than those who rated affordable healthcare, violence against women, and the need to ensure that social security is there for women and men in their older years. It is also a key issue for younger women who, according to the American Association of University Women, may be uncertain as to the severity of the gender pay gap, but definitely believe in its existence, with 46 percent of recent female undergraduates expressing the view that it is an important issue. Focusing just on the “average” pay gap sometimes masks the extent of occupational segregation in pay; particularly that women are often in lower paid jobs and men in higher remunerated work. Women’s jobs have been systematically and historically undervalued. In the US, the National Committee on Pay Equity states that “occupations with 25 percent or more women workers, such as secretaries and teachers, generally pay less than occupations with similar skill requirements that have 70 percent or more men, such as janitors or truck drivers.” There is a recognition that women need not only better paid work, but the ability to reach higher paid jobs; and this is a part of the reason why there is perhaps, a direct influence to be found between the gender pay gaps and the lack of family friendly policies in many workplaces. Well over half of the participants in a survey undertaken by the Respecting Maternity Campaign have said that they chose to leave a job because flexible working arrangements and family friendly hours were not made available by the employer. This already points to one reason why the gender pay gap in earnings between women and men widens as women get older. And while it is recognised that part time work – which is often the choice of women to work around caring responsibilities – does indeed attract lower pay than full time work, it is also accepted that part time work should not mean people earn less per hour. Once again, the insidious nature of the gender pay gap is revealed in the fact that the European Commission have discovered that just under a third of women work part time, against only 8 percent of men – a figure which has not changed in 10 years. All of these factors are very commonly referred to by social action groups, who consider that “pay should reflect the job; not the gender” and women should have a ‘decent living wage’. Members of the public are often encouraged to support political rallies and camps for change in this area, such as ‘Moms Rising’, which draws attention to the way in which mothers are affected by the gender pay gap.

1.2 Maternity Leave Policies

Expectant mothers who have spent a sufficient amount of time in a company that has at least 50 employees are entitled to at least 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a child. Additionally, the company must provide the same or a comparable job when the individual returns from leave. This law is called the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). However, the FMLA only applies to a limited portion of American women. Studies have shown that only a little over half of American women qualify for leave under the FMLA. For example, about 41% of working women do not qualify for FMLA leave because they have not worked in the same place for at least a year. As a result, many women are forced to return to work shortly after giving birth because they cannot afford to take an unpaid leave. Some women are let go while they are on leave, others return to find that they have been demoted or that their work environment has become hostile, and still others never return to the workforce. The lack of a paid maternity leave law at the federal level perpetuates these health and economic risks for women and families. Paid maternity leave legislation is an important part of the ongoing effort to improve access to maternity care and promote maternal and child health. As of now, the United States is one of only a few countries that does not have a federal law providing for paid maternity leave. The only other countries are Papua New Guinea, Suriname, and a few island nations in the Pacific Ocean. Moreover, studies have found that more generous paid leave policies can lead to positive health and economic outcomes for women and children. For example, a report by the United Nations Children’s Fund found that nearly a third of infants in the United States will not receive crucial postnatal care check-ups within six weeks of birth. This is particularly concerning because postnatal care can help prevent serious long-term health conditions for the child. Paid maternity leave can help encourage mothers to seek proper postnatal care for their children. Economists from the National Bureau of Economic Research have also found that paid maternity leave policies can lead to long-term benefits for children. For instance, paid maternity leave led to 10% reductions in infant mortality in countries that implemented paid leave policies. This kind of improvement in infant health may have lasting effects for a new generation of children. The World Health Organization also recommends that mothers should have at least 16 weeks of paid leave in order to properly heal from childbirth and to initiate breastfeeding. Given that paid leave policies have already been shown to produce tangible benefits in other countries, the United States should use the empirical evidence to inform the development of federal maternity leave laws.

1.3 Affordable Childcare

Affordable childcare is a crucial issue for women voters because the high cost of childcare is a significant burden on many women and their families. This is a significant factor. First, in today’s society, many families rely on two incomes. This means that women are increasingly likely to be in the workforce and contributing to the economy. However, without affordable childcare, working is not a viable option for many women. As many as one in four women who are not working say that the reason for this is that they are caring for family members. This can be compared to less than one in twenty men who are not working. This demonstrates the impact of providing care on women’s ability to work. Further, the cost of childcare can be very high. While prices vary across the country and according to the age of the child, the cost of a nursery place is on average about $1,196 every month. However, in many areas of the country, childcare can cost much more. For example, in Inner London, the cost for a nursery place for a child under the age of two is about $1,733. Many families, particularly those with more than one child young enough to require care, simply cannot manage to meet these costs. This can act as a significant barrier to women seeking to work. Without accessible childcare, women are more likely to have to reduce their hours, work part-time and/or have to work in low paid or insecure jobs with more ‘family friendly’ hours. This also has a knock-on impact on the types of jobs that women are able to apply for, as they may be less able to seek promotions or take up new employment that requires greater flexibility. The current system does provide support for pay for childcare. However, this can be confusing and difficult to access, and the costs have been rising over the past years. It is important to note that this is not a small inconvenience; the cost of childcare can have a long-term impact on women’s earnings. For example, research shows that women with children under six years old earn 4% less than women without children. This is known as the ‘child penalty’ and demonstrates that the impact of motherhood on women’s working lives is not just felt in terms of lost working hours – it can also affect women’s earning potential.

1.4 Equal Opportunities in the Workplace

Currently, women make up nearly half of the American labor force, yet women only hold 30.6% of executive and senior managerial positions. Furthermore, the likelihood of a woman working in a male-dominated job is the same now as it was 20 years ago. To combat this issue, multiple planned policy agendas aim on lifting the glass ceiling for women in the workforce. Firstly, it is proposed that women should have the legal right to know how much their male colleagues are being paid, particularly those in the same job. This has been considered as a key first step in closing the gender pay gap in male and female waged earners. Secondly, it has been suggested that companies with 250 or more employees should be required to publish details of pay for male and female employees, enabling higher pay and bonus disparities to be reported on. It is argued that transparency has helped to drive the requirement to business and has supported changes in culture. Finally, the gender pay gap should be included in requirements for gender pay gap reporting for companies where an organization’s workforce is below the 250 employee threshold. This has been put forth as a means to increase the pressure of reform onto businesses rather than just the law alone. It was clear that in the U.K., where similar policies have now become statutory, both success and downfall factors were evident; identifying a need to diversify analysis of such policy. After reviewing the current research findings, it has led me to discover a few critiques on the proposed plans discussed above. It has been argued that imposing obligations is only the raising of awareness and social expectation of what should be the norm. However, this view neglects the reality that change will not occur without awareness or expectation and it is this that is being delivered through such policy. Furthermore, it has been suggested from more hypothetical approaches that males may feel under increased scrutiny in an attempt to resolve a rise in female wages, in particular if there are financial penalties and repercussions for male thriving companies – sectors that have been culturally typified by male employment. I believe that it is clear evidence that these policies have the potential to promote and accelerate the movement towards gender equality in the workplace and thus federal level implementation would only serve to amplify the effect through nationwide companies. However, future research is needed beyond critiques and analysis to understand the main drivers to a better gender diverse working environment other than just policy.

2. Reproductive Rights

2.1 Access to Birth Control

2.2 Abortion Rights

2.3 Comprehensive Sex Education

2.4 Maternal Health Care

3. Gender-Based Violence

3.1 Domestic Violence Prevention

3.2 Sexual Assault Awareness

3.3 Harassment in the Workplace

3.4 Human Trafficking

4. Healthcare

4.1 Affordable and Accessible Healthcare

4.2 Reproductive Health Services

4.3 Mental Health Support

4.4 Insurance Coverage for Women’s Health

5. Education

5.1 Equal Educational Opportunities

5.2 STEM Education and Careers for Women

5.3 Sexual Harassment Policies in Schools

5.4 Scholarships and Grants for Women

6. Political Representation

6.1 Increasing Women’s Representation in Government

6.2 Gender Parity in Political Leadership

6.3 Encouraging Women to Run for Office

6.4 Eliminating Gender Bias in Political Campaigns

1. Introduction

In essence, this work can serve as a very detailed introductory guide to those new to the field of global financial systems and burgeoning technology, as well as academics and industry professionals who wish to further comprehend and appreciate the potential impact of this new digital era.

There is an ongoing debate as to the potential benefits and risks that cryptocurrency and blockchain technology pose to the industry, and how global financial bodies – such as central banks and regulators – should react. This study intends to provide not only a comprehensive introduction to how this dynamic and averse financial landscape works, but also seeks to support and engage in the current discourse by providing knowledgeable insight and understanding.

This study will seek to explore the impact of these technologies in syncing global financial markets by providing a complete journey of the major underlying workings of both the blockchain and cryptocurrency, as well as their implications. Given the vast development and speed in adoption of these technologies over the last decade, and particularly following on from the recent digital revolution that has resulted from the coronavirus pandemic, there is a scarcity of academic research in interfacing these new technologies within existing financial systems and regulation.

However, as innovative and exciting as cryptocurrency technology is, these rapid developments have left many in the field feeling slightly bewildered and unsure as to what either cryptocurrencies or blockchain technology actually mean – particularly within the established structures of financial markets and regulation.

The rapid and increasing use of the internet and technology in everyday life has meant that traditional methods of transacting money are also evolving and changing. For example, when was the last time you paid for something in cash, or visited a bank or building society to transfer money? Many commentators believe that the use of blockchain and cryptocurrencies could revolutionize the way money is used, invested, and traded, much in the same way that the internet did for online shopping and information.

The emergence of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology has introduced a new and dynamic layer to financial markets. Cryptocurrencies present a new kind of digital or virtual currency. They rely on technology that acts as a distributed ledger, a record of all transactions that is maintained and verified by a network of computers rather than a centralized authority. This technology – referred to as blockchain – is the driving force behind the disruptive potential of cryptocurrencies to the broader financial landscape.

1.1 Background

Cryptocurrency, also known as virtual currency, is a digital asset designed to work as a medium of exchange where individual coin ownership records are stored in a digital ledger or computerized database utilizing strong cryptography to ensure transaction records. As a result, cryptocurrency transactions are secure and private. Each cryptocurrency uses a decentralized technology called blockchain, which is a public financial transaction database that is digitized and works on a secure, underlying technology known as distributed ledger technology. This makes the cryptocurrencies resistant to any form of control from the outside, such as a central bank and, importantly, makes the cryptocurrencies for the most part global and immune to the effects of local politics and geological instability. Blockchain technology is similar to the internet in that it has a built-in robustness. By storing blocks of information that are the same across its network, the blockchain cannot be controlled by any single entity and has no single point of failure. As such, it has the possibility to disrupt many industries by “decentralizing” processes and eliminating the need for trust between users – for example, intermediaries such as banks in financial services. Blockchain was invented in 2008 by an unknown person or group of people using the name Satoshi Nakamoto and was implemented the following year as a core component of the digital currency Bitcoin, the first cryptocurrency. Since the inception of Bitcoin, over 4,000 altcoins (alternative variants of Bitcoin) have been created and adopted for some form of application, such as Litecoin and Ethereum. Despite the name, cryptocurrency doesn’t operate like traditional currency. The most important feature of a cryptocurrency is that it is not controlled by any central authority: the decentralized nature of blockchain makes cryptocurrency theoretically immune to the old ways of government control and interference. Cryptocurrencies can be sent or received anywhere in the world, and may offer a lower transaction fee than traditional online payment methods. For these reasons, many different organizations and governments are excited about the potential use of cryptocurrency and blockchain to disburse funds, creating a more equitable system of money distribution on a global scale where power is no longer held by the few. However, the reluctance and at times hostility of some national governments to fully embrace blockchain and cryptocurrencies suggest that this vision will take significant work to put into effect. The motivation for this study is to explore how the advent and increasing presence of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology have impacted and will continue to impact the financial markets. Specifically, this study will focus on the disruptive potential of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology in areas such as investment banking, payment systems, and risk management. Moreover, the study aims to showcase the emergence of new financial products and services utilizing cryptocurrency and blockchain. It will also address the foreseeable regulatory challenges in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space and present a future outlook and recommendations for the envisioned fintech penetration into traditional financial markets. By providing systematic research of various aspects and impacts of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology on financial markets, this study will contribute to the much-needed comprehensive understanding and foster more research into the fintech area.

1.2 Purpose of the Study

The combination of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology has given birth to a new asset class that has caught the interest of investors and industrial players alike. The high level of excitement and speculation that now characterizes the cryptocurrency market means that this market is of high research interest. The purpose of this research is to review how cryptocurrency and blockchain technology have impacted the financial market so far and to judge if this is just another technological fad or if the impacts are substantial enough to spur long-term structural changes in the financial world. By analyzing how cryptocurrency and blockchain technology challenge the traditional financial market and by looking into what new financial products and services have been made possible by the rise of this technology, the main purpose of the study is to expose the transformative potential of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology in a number of critical areas in finance, including banking, investment, and payments. It is hoped that the findings of this research will give valuable insights to financial stakeholders like banks, payment companies, and investors on what to expect and how to make the best use of the new opportunities as well as coping with the changes that are brought about by this revolutionary technology. By discussing the disruptive impacts of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology on three essential components of the traditional financial world, namely investment banking, payment systems, and risk management, and by studying the new financial landscape that has been created such as the rise of cryptocurrency as a digital asset class and the emergence of new ways of raising capital like initial coin offerings, we seek to answer this research question throughout the essay. This research attempts to examine how cryptocurrency and blockchain technology affect not just the basic ways in which financial activities are carried out but also new dimensions in the digital era, in particular the disintermediation of the financial ecosystem which brings about the new notion of digitalized ‘trust’ and a more transparent, fairer environment to both providers and consumers of finance. By understanding the mechanics of these changes, we can also understand the reasons for the current regulatory dilemmas and challenges as well as uncover the potential of this evolving digital finance era.

1.3 Research Questions

Based on the growing trend of cryptocurrency and the heated discussion it has raised around the world, it is interesting to explore the impacts of cryptocurrency on the financial market. In general, the research questions to be addressed include the following: whether cryptocurrency will substitute the traditional fiat currency issued by the government as the standard currency in the future; what is the main advantage of cryptocurrency that draws more and more attention in the financial market; whether blockchain, as the underlying technology which powers cryptocurrency, will also affect the development of the financial market. Also, there is a trend that increasing types of investment in the market are related to cryptocurrency, such as the initial coin offering which means the first sale of a digital currency and it is generally used as a source of capital for start-up companies. However, the practical effect of the new type of digital money in the market still needs to be further investigated. Last but not least, it will be interesting to explore the room for the growth of cryptocurrency and its impacts on the way the current market operates, for example, internet trading as well as illegal activities and market projects such as the Silk Road which uses bitcoin for money exchange purposes. The final direction and scope of the research findings may be influenced, altered, limited, and even constrained by the due date for the work, as Czech (2006:5) as well as Silverman (2005:11) refer that it is important to be aware that research is a timed activity and good time management is essential to plan and execute the research project.

2. Overview of Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Technology

2.1 Definition of Cryptocurrency

2.2 Explanation of Blockchain Technology

2.3 Relationship between Cryptocurrency and Blockchain

3. Traditional Financial Markets

3.1 Definition and Characteristics

3.2 Role of Investment Banking in Traditional Financial Markets

3.3 Payment Systems in Traditional Financial Markets

3.4 Risk Management in Traditional Financial Markets

4. Disruptive Potential of Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Technology

4.1 Impact on Investment Banking

4.1.1 Disintermediation of Financial Institutions

4.1.2 Tokenization of Assets

4.1.3 Smart Contracts in Investment Banking

4.2 Impact on Payment Systems

4.2.1 Faster and Cheaper Transactions

4.2.2 Cross-Border Payments

4.2.3 Decentralized Payment Networks

4.3 Impact on Risk Management

4.3.1 Transparency and Immutable Records

4.3.2 Fraud Prevention and Detection

4.3.3 Smart Contracts in Risk Management

5. New Financial Products and Services

5.1 Cryptocurrencies as an Asset Class

5.2 Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs)

5.3 Decentralized Finance (DeFi)

5.4 Security Tokens

6. Regulatory Challenges and Opportunities

6.1 Current Regulatory Landscape

6.2 Challenges in Regulating Cryptocurrency and Blockchain

6.3 Opportunities for Regulatory Frameworks

7. Case Studies

7.1 Impact on Stock Exchanges

7.2 Disruption in the Banking Sector

7.3 Adoption by Central Banks

8. Future Outlook and Recommendations

8.1 Potential Future Developments

8.2 Recommendations for Financial Institutions

8.3 Recommendations for Regulators