Large companies including Amazon, PepsiCo, Target, Visa and General Motors announced Friday that they have signed a pledge committing to ending the gender pay gap for their employees.

"If a gap exists, we'll address it," Apple said in it's report, "And we'll continue our work to make sure we maintain pay equity."

Full-time working women in the United States make an average of 79 cents for every dollar a man earns, according to the 2014 Bureau of Labor Statistics. This gap is even larger for African American and Latina women, who are paid 63 cents to the dollar a man is paid.

While some of the gender pay gap can be attributed to other factors, such as women leaving the workforce, many recent studies prove that pay discrimination is still a big problem. In Congress, many have tried to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act 4 times. This Act would include penalties to employers for pay discrimination and require employers to show that the pay gap between men and women is because of something other than gender. However, many in Congress continue to criticize the bill claiming that it is bad for business.

President Barrack Obama is currently working on closing the gender wage gap without the help of Congress. Starting in January, Obama signed an order that required businesses with 100 employees or more to report their pay data, broken down into race and gender, to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

"We commit to conducting an annual company-wide gender pay analysis across occupations," the pledge states "As well as identify and promote other best practices that will close the national wage gap to ensure fundamental fairness to all workers."

A few of the companies that signed the pledge were, Pinterest, Amazon, PepsiCo, Facebook, Apple and 23 others. Obama applauded these companies, "we should encourage more businesses to join them," he said.

Businesses across the country play a vital role in reducing the gender pay gap. Continuing to move forward with Congress and working with companies that employ equal pay is crucial. These businesses can encourage other businesses to make the change as well.