What the others said about letting her pick out her own gun is right. That's how my wife wound up with the little Davis .380 auto. She picked it out herself and learned to load and shoot it herself. I showed her years ago how to shoot, and she is proficient with both autos and revolvers. I didn't like the Davis, but she did and to date, after several boxes of full house JHP ammo, it has yet to have it's first jam or misfire. It also cost her $99.95 plus tax and $10.00 for the 3rd mag. It came with one extra and a lifetime warranty. She got it at a gun show about 4 years ago. Good gun.
My .380 is made in Hungary, a direct copy of the Walther PPK series. This is a well made gun that uses Walther mags and shoot great. A little heaver that I like but still lighter that any of my 45SAA's, the gun is easy to hide and points well. I purchased it at the same gun show where my wife got her Davis. Mine had a 1 year warranty on it and that is long expired.
When I bought these two pistols, I purchased 3 boxes of shells loaded to factory levels with JHP bullets. I also bought dies ordered 1000 Starline cases and 1000 Remington 88grn JHP's. I loaded 500 rds for my wife, and 500 rds for me. My wife is down to her last couple of boxes, and I have about 3 or 4 boxes left from my THIRD loading of my 500 cases.
Her Davis has not had a single misfire or jam, and mine had 2, counted them and wrote them down, 2 stovepipe jams in the first 100 rounds. Both of them were on the last round from a clip. After the first 100 rounds, nothing, not a single jam or misfire, not a problem of any kind. That, to me is the kind of reliability I want in a carry gun. Her Davis has a safety to disengage to shoot, mine has a decocker to drop the hammer and then flip back to the fire position, Double action on the first shot, single after that, no safety, just pull, point, and squeeze. Goes bang every time.
This pistol cost me $210.00 out the door at the gun show with 2 extra mags. I have since bought 5 more mags and rotate them.
My point is, take her shopping and let her pick out what she wants, it don't have to be a major brand name, it don't have to cost a lot, it just has to work for her.
My next carry pistol will be a taurus Ultra-lite in 32H&R mag, 6 shots instead of 5 in the same size package as a 38 snubby.
greeenriver( Only thing is, shoot it enough to be real sure it will work when you want it to)