Overworked and underappreciated. It’s sad whenever that can be said of anyone, but even sadder when it describes people who deserve extra appreciation for sacrificially giving of themselves day after day. I’m thinking at the moment of one group in particular—women.

It’s a complicated and demanding business, being a woman these days. Women make up a large percentage of the workforce and account for more of the average family’s earnings than they used to. More women worldwide are leaders in the political and professional sectors than ever before. At the same time, women are expected to continue to fill their traditional roles in the family and community—roles that in some ways have become tougher in these challenging modern times. An increasing number also carry the responsibility of raising children alone. In all, far more is expected of women today than even one or two generations ago.

Like other issues of such complexity and near-global proportion, there aren’t any quick, easy solutions to the “overworked and underappreciated” problem that so many women face today. None of us have it within our power to effect universal change, but we can each effect change in our own little universes; we can change things for the women closest to us. We may not always be able to lighten their loads in a big way, but we can always be more understanding and show more appreciation, both of which have a buoying effect.

If you’re not sure how to do that for the women in your world, I hope this issue will give you some ideas. It’s our first issue dedicated to women, and it coincides with International Woman’s Day (IWD) on March 8. IWD traces its roots to the first National Women’s Day, which was observed in the U.S. on February 28, 1909. That would make this year’s IWD the centennial celebration. Congratulations, women, and happy 100^th!