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Women in America make 79% of what men make in a typical workplace. When calculated over the course of their careers, they end up with a shortage of $500,000 in income. For the African American woman, this amount is almost $900,000, and for Latinas, it can go over a shocking $1million.

Earlier this year, President Obama made the call for a new initiative. He stated that because the traditional role of women is now at par with men-and with a lot of women being breadwinners- paying them any less than their male counterparts makes it more difficult for families to get the essentials like childcare and healthcare.

Technology firms are now joining the equal pay initiative. More than eight weeks after the Whitehouse first announced its equal pay plan for the private sector, Apple, Facebook, IBM, Microsoft and other leading businesses have signed on. Twenty-nine companies signed up on Friday, making a total of 57 signatories. This pledge is part of a $50-million, Whitehouse initiative to enhance the lives of women and girls in America.

By signing up, companies are saying that they want to bridge the national gender pay disparity and review recruitment and promotion processes. The new signatories were announced on Friday, which was the anniversary of the Women’s Equality Day.

Apple had stated earlier this year that it does not have any pay disparity but signed the pledge with a vow to examine its wages, bonuses, and policies for hiring of workers worldwide.

Women’s Equality Day has been celebrated for 45 years. It was initially created to celebrate the 19th Amendment that gave women voting rights. However, it is now a reminder that women haven’t attained full equality with men.