A woman is physically weaker than a man, and usually smaller.
This does not mean she needs a small gun - she needs a big gun - to make up for her deficit.
A Glock 21 is not much heavier than a 19. The 45ACP is easier to learn to shoot, and easier to shoot better, than a 9mm. The G21 is an easy shooting platform, even for factory ammo.
Cost of ammo can be mitigated by using cast bullets, which the 45ACP is practically made for. Alloy hardness is not a problem, the pressure is low, just powder coat, load and shoot.
45ACP brass never wears out. Shoot it over and over again.
Then there's the inevitable lapse into the fog of stopping power. Stopping power is an academic question that leads to a logical swamp. The focus should be on disabling the attacker.
Which is done in one of two ways - penetrating a vital or a drop in blood pressure.
Hitting a vital in an attack scenario is unlikely. A big hole is guaranteed to bleed more than a small hole, and incapacitate quicker.
And if any man thinks a particular gun is too heavy for a woman to carry, try being pregnant for 9 months.
