One size fits all? Get a little smaller firearm than you might want so other folks can use it? Is that a good idea? Do you apply it to your hat, or your knife...or your underwear? Maybe each member of the family should find a firearm that suits them. Perhaps size may matters less than you believe. I know smallish women who choose .30/12 gauge, and largish men who prefer .243/20 gauge. I would not wish to have either group shooting at me with their chosen weapons. Redundancy is highly valued here, and no firearm is absolutely reliable. Having a variety of weapons in a variety of calibers could be more adaptable than having a single family gun. And now that the female hunting market segment is the fastest-growing in the country, so many weapons are available in lovely pastels...

All of the subsistence deer poachers back home hunted with .22 rimfires, and such were used in the slaughterhouse to kill full grown hereford bulls, if you didn't want to use the sledgehammer. It can be a pretty effective cartridge.