Revolvers used to be the fast and easy answer to a question like this. Its simple, reliable and hard to screw up. The down side is the long and heavy trigger pull that some women have problems with. The capacty is also an issue, but not a big one for CCW.
I'm now of the opinion that the Glock 19 is perfect for new shooters, women and small handed people. Like a revolver, its simple to learn and use and is reliable. The safe action trigger is easy for a women to handle and the sight picture doesn't jump all over the place during take-up like on a revolver.
If you ever want to be convienced of how much better this is for new shooters, watch a class of new shooters try to shoot controlled pairs. The ones with the Glock can hit the target and the DA/SA folks either can't or can't within a short time frame.