In addition to helping single parent households, closing the gender pay gap would also have a broader impact on poverty rates. If the gender pay gap was eliminated, the poverty rate would decrease significantly. This would be a positive effect for those struggling with financial issues. As stated by Status of Women Data, it says, “the poverty rate among all working women would fall from 8.2 to 4.0 percent.” The data shows that if women and men were receiving the same income, it would help with the issue of poverty. As you can see, if the gender pay gap was eliminated, the poverty rate would decrease significantly. Another benefit of closing the gender wage gap is the increase it would have on women’s earnings and the growth of each state’s economy. As demonstrated by the Status of Women in the States, If all working women in the United States aged 18 and older were paid the same as comparable men—men of the same age, level of education, and urban/rural residence, and who work the same number of hours—women’s average earnings would increase from $37,358 to $43,909 ($6,551 or 17.5 percent)