Went to the local private range and tried two 380ACP pistols. The Walther PK380 is considered a women friendly gun and gets high scores from female shooters. In my opinion (and my daughter's), it's a mess. It doesn't have a slide lock, and the safety is backward (compared to conventional designs), AND it doesn't have a de-cocker. Get this!!! In order to de-cock this pistol you have to flip on the safety and then PULL THE TRIGGER! -- WOW -- accident waiting to happen! You also need a special tool to take the gun down for simple cleaning and maintenance. Way too complicated a design and not a viable option.
The other was S&W Shield -- another "Women friendly" gun. It's too large for a small woman to effectively EDC, and in my daughter's small hands, the recoil often pushed her dominant thumb upward and bumped the safety lever ever so slightly to make the pistol "safe" without her realizing it. Her small handed grip just wasn't right for that gun. Hence given it's size and small hand ergonomics, the Shield is off the table.
What gun did we choose? The simplest and (in my opinion the safest) compact pistol on the market. SIG P250 DAO sub-compact; and although no longer produced, my daughter liked my P250C trigger, but not the size for her EDC. So we chose the smaller sub-compact (SC) model. It has a long DA 5.5-6.5lb trigger pull and a long reset just like a DA revolver. This action design makes it almost impossible to accidentally pull the trigger -- even in a stressful situation. It's a bit larger/bulkier than the micro-carry pistols such as the popular SIG P365 -- but then again it can also be used as a good range and home gun. All in all -- it's a winner for a new CCW licensee with limited shooting experience.
We got a good deal on Gunbroker and it came with four magazines -- so no extras to purchase. A complete kit.
Thanks for all the input. We tried several other pistols that were supposedly "women friendly" -- so if you're in a similar situation with a wife or daughter looking for a EDC pistol, feel free to PM me.