Yeah, the same thing happened to a petite 110-pound friend of mine. She started out with a .22LR, went to a .38, then a .357 (Ruger Security-Six), then a .44 mag (Redhawk). She handled all of them with nary a problem. I think one reason is that men think it's a macho thing and they approach it that way. Women approach it completely different. If they don't like it, they just walk away from it.
Back in the 80s, no one complained about the recoil from a .357 in a Security-Six or a S&W 66. That's because the only other choice was an N-frame Smith. Skeeter Skelton and Bill Jordan never complained. And Elmer Keith? He didn't shoot that sissy lil' caliber (even though he developed it). Now unless a guy's got a Smith 686 or a Ruger GP-100, he complains about recoil.
The .44 mag isn't a caliber most people shoot for enjoyment. It's a hunting round. As a defense round, it's not as good as some .357 loads. It penetrates well, but its heavy and I never enjoyed shooting it. Still, if you want to put meat in the freezer, there's a lot of incentive to master it. Many women, though, don't seem as bothered by it as men and they either like it or they don't.