As a female who carries, I have been through a few different scenarios with this. One thing I think is most important is that the gun be lightweight, familiar, and small. I had what I thought was the perfect carry gun but it was too heavy. Too heavy to put in my pocket, purse, or elsewhere for any length of time. Then it got to the point I wouldn't carry it. Better to carry a smaller caliber, with fewer rounds, than to have nothing. And if it is lighter, you are not as tempted to set the purse down leaving you unarmed. Honestly I have found plenty of deisgner and fashionable purses with a pouch of their own that I turned into my very own "holster" purse. The key for me was getting the right pistol to carry, not the method of carrying it. With my current pistol, I put it in my pocket when I walk the dogs, it can go in my purse when I go to the store, or it could fit in my bra if I didn't have pockets!