I respectfully disagree. I am a male with small hands, and was never quite comfortable shooting a Ruger. S&W small-frame revolvers, OTOH, fit my hands perfectly, had good triggers, and were very accurate.
BTW, Gun Tests magazine has excellent firearms reviews and comparisons. They have a website, but I think you have to be a subscriber to read the reviews.
My comment, and I think comments of others, as pertaining to opinions concerning firearms, are always predicated on the notion that the damned thing has to fit the shooter.
If it don't fit, you can't hit.
So I still standby by my original comment that the SP101 is a perfect self-defense weapon for a woman. Not the perfect weapon, but a perfect one.
Got one for my daughter as a 21st birthday present, sent her to combat handgunning school run by a bunch of Marines, and presto-changeo! A young woman who will not become a meaningless statistic.
Why? I found the sp101, the gp100 and Blackhawk well suited for small hands. All VERY sweet shooting guns.
I've got small hands, myself, and I found a pistol that fits me very well - H&K 9mm USP Compact. It's a tad on the pricey side, but I really like the feel, well balanced, and just fun to shoot.