Actually, according to what I have heard, women progress through various stages...
1st is the .357 revolver (w/ .38s)
2nd is around 9mm...
Final is the .45ACP (single stack)...
They can handle the recoil, but they handle it differently from us guys. They roll with it, versus fighting it like we do. They like the power, and they know that it's gonna do some serious damage down range. The safety, the fact that you can get it all customized, stuff like that, really tends to make them happy campers, I guess.