Also, you should note that a compact version of a standard-sized gun is going to have stiffer springs, due to the shorter travel available to the slide. She may not have a problem with a standard-length 75B. Like posted above, technique has something to do with it, and I've read about several women who followed the instructions at the link above and had a new set of options opened up for them.
You didn't mention what kind of gun (apart from semi-auto) she is looking for. Do you want to stay within 9mm or the same gun design (for mag compatibility)? If you're comfortable with .380, the Bersa Thunder .380 seems to be very popular with the female gunnies I know. Here is a link to a review of one by one of the lady gunbloggers whose site I frequent:
http://mausersandmuffins.blogspot.com/2 ... under.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I shot one of these belonging to Venus Pax at the last Forum day, and found it to be quite easy to operate, and don't recall the DA trigger or slide requiring much strength to pull. It's quite compact (same size/shape as a Walther PPK), and the ergonomics are good. Being that it is a common gun, I imagine you could check one out for feel at just about any gun shop that will let you cycle it and try the trigger.