For us Desert Combat fans,
Saiga makes an excellent .410 with a semiautomatic Kalishnikov-type action. Inexpensive, too. (Folding stock even!)
http://club.guns.ru/images/saiga410k-sm.jpg
I think a weapon of this type with a Surefire tactical flashlight/laser combo with a squeeze tapeswitch on the forestock would be an ideal setup for a woman. It packs a wallop, is easy to control, and the flashlight/laser would make it easy for her to see what she's shooting at. Hope this helps.
As an aside, I think I'm going to pick up a
SIG 556 after the first of the year when they start hitting the shelves. (I can't wait!)
http://www.sigarms.com/images/catalo...ftside16in.jpg