+3,
we got my wife a .22, she didn't like shooting it because she would get frustrated with the MKIII operation she preferred the operation of my Sig P229, and even liked the way it shoots despite the heavier recoil. So we upgraded her to a PK 380, the ammo was expensive, it wasn't completely broken in and had "new gun issues" and she didn't like the fact that her mags only held 8 rounds, so we then upgraded again to a p226, and she is more excited to head to the club than I am now.
Consider your budget and the cost of the ammo and get the best quality gun you can afford, I say skip the .22 and head right to centerfire, for a handgun that is.
9MM, .38, .38S, and a bunch of other calibers don't recoil much in guns no bigger than a three or four inch barrel, good platforms to learn and improve on.
My 2 cents, Happy hunting
