I've went through this with my wife and mother in the last 12 months.
Wife ended up with a S&W 60 Pro. It has met her needs. She likes the front night sight. And the ability to shoot .357's as she matures with her shooting skills. She did not want a auto of any kind.
Mother ended up with a GP-100 Royal Phoenix. She got it into her head that since she lived in Mesa and the factory was close for any needed service or repair that was the gun for her. And she liked the look of a quality built revolver. It is a beautiful weapon.
Teaching girls/women to shoot is a whole diff thing than working with boys/men in my experience. With my wife and mother both wanted to know what was in there pistols and what made them work. So with that having to be done I went ahead and did trigger jobs on them. Even put a stone in there hands. It worked out great! They seem to have a real kinship with the pistols. At the same time the pistols got there first cleaning and they did it all.
Safety almost seems to be a natural element of a smart women. Women have always impressed me with the attitude twords safety and there right out of the box basic safety knowledge. It's like they have studied it quietly in case they every need the skill.
Getting the shooting part down can be a challenge. My mother went pretty easy into a good stance at the range and did pretty good. The wife on the other hand has real range shooting issues. She just can't get into a workable stance. BUT,,, the wife is doing very good at defensive shooting from none standard positions. Like shooting from the a bed with pistol coming out of a night stand. Too pulling pistol out of a hiding spot in the home and shooting from around a corner, sofa or hitting the floor. She has also excelled in covering her self when say,, she is out working her flower beds around the house. She has a pretty good draw form her guarding tool bag and target acquisition.
The practical shooting around the house really worry's my mom. I assured her in her 70's she is doing great! And she is not going to be able to move like the wife and I in our 50's. The basic range practice will make a diff. if she ever has to shoot a BG.
Mom enjoys going to the range. Being semi retired, it's something to do. The wife on the other hand as all sorts of things to do,,, or so she thinks.
I found it really cool that both women choose high value pistols. One being full size and the other a compact. And willing to explore and shoot the wide range of ammo those pistols offer.