VIRGINIA –Today, six businesses will offer women a discount to celebrate Equal Pay Day. April 4 marks the date in the new year where women will have earned as much as a man did in the past year due to the wage gap.

Sugar Shack Donuts, Scrawl Books, and Olympians Family Restaurant in Northern Virginia, Borjo Coffeehouse in Norfolk, and Brewer’s Café and Chop Suey Books in RIchmond are excited to take part in Equal Pay Day to bring awareness to the wage gap and support the demand that men and women should earn the same amount for equal work. Business will offer women a 20% discount to compensate for the gender wage gap.

Progress Virginia is working with these businesses to bring attention to the gender wage gap and will supply literature about equal pay at the businesses during the day.

“We organized Equal Pay Day to say that in 2017 it is absolutely ridiculous that women and men aren’t paid the same for equal work,” Anna Scholl, Executive Director of Progress Virginia, said. “If we closed the wage gap today, it would mean more money in families’ pockets and more customers for local businesses, providing a shot in the arm for our economy.”

Businesses across the commonwealth are participating in Equal Pay Day to stand up and say that women deserve to be paid for equal work. Virginia women are still paid only 78 cents for every dollar paid to men. African American women in Virginia make only 59 cents and Latina women in Virginia earn only 52 cents for every dollar a white man makes.