I'm looking to get my gf into shooting, and I think she'll end up with a glock 19. It's a 9mm, and the recoil is not bad at all. She's got small hands and so the handle might be a tad big, but other than that, the gun is a performer. She likes the glocks because there are no levers etc... to fuss with, point and shoot.
Shoot safe,
Albert