I already have the .357. It is not just the .357 cartrdige (although that is an issue for a small woman also), it is the size of her hand and the weight of the gun. She actually has a hard time holding the barrel up.
She can't even squeeze the trigger. I have taught her to cock the gun and shoot that way (double action), but she can not shoot from the trigger straight out.
She really needs a smaller gun (that packs a punch though) that can fit better into a small hand. Any ideas?
The .357/.38 combo is good - there are lots of guns chambered for .357, and any of those will shoot .38. The caliber is good because the two weapons can share ammo.
There is a trade off between size of gun and perceived recoil. Lighter guns tend to kick more, of feel more harsh. The best advice is to try before you buy. The shooter needs to be comfortable with the gun. .22 is useless, unless you want to use it to bag small critters to eat. Well, a .22 is great for general practice, ammo is real cheap ;-)
My personal favorite is .45 auto on a "Lightweight Combat Commander" frame. I have small hands too, and it (the weapon) is quite easy to manage - takes lots of practice to get proficient.
Try a Glock 30. Very small, pleasant recoil, fires the .45ACP, a solid hit anywhere will take target out of action.
The Kel-Tec P3AT is reasonably priced, and is probably the smallest .380 around. Kel-Tec also makes a .32 that's about the same size, and a 9mm pistol that's a bit bigger.