OK I will tell you that I agree with JM’s statement. You being a girl of short stature and light weight you need something to emphasize your reach, speed, height, and weight.

Wing Chun was created by a woman who fought a man and reached a stalemate. They corroborated after the fight to make this style, so it is very well suited for women to practice. It’s quick and close. Generally you being attacked is going to involve a loss of space.

Krav Maga is the Israeli art that is used primarily in their military. This is probably the most vicious freestyle self defense art I’ve ever seen. It is as well very suited for a woman and will make you a deadly individual.

Now that being said, you need to make sure that you do extensive research on the teachers of the schools, wherever you decide to go. Sit down in the advanced classes and watch the students. Take notes and make comparisons. When the class is over talk with the instructors about their experience in the World of Martial arts. Ask if they have a pamphlet of their history or if they can tell you about their history. Also try and get a demonstration of a scenario you make up. If the students or teacher can immediately respond with something and show that it works, then you have something worth taking a better look at.

Mauy Thai- science of the eight limbs, it basically teaches you to use you knees, legs, arms, and elbows, its a pretty brutal martial art with a lot of full-contact sparring (meaning you put all of your force into your strikes) it basically turns your body into a weapon.

Karate- there several styles of karate like shotaken, and Gojo-ryu. Karate is actually an art from Okinawa which uses a lot of punches and kicks so it would be a really good style for you.

Kung Fu- is a Chinese martial art which like karate has several different arts like Drunken Kung Fu, five animals style, praying mantis and wing Chun. most Kung Fu styles have more punches then kicks so but it really depends on the club/Dojo you join.

TaeKwonDo- is a mostly kicking based martial art from korea which has a lot of jumping kicks, flying kicks, high kicks, with a few punches and hand techniques. you may like punching more then kicking but so you’ll have to decide if you like punching or kicking more.

Kickboxing- i don’t know too much about this style except of what I’ve read, kickboxing is much like Mauy Thai using knees, kicks and punches.

Boxing- there’s not too much i can tell you about this martial art that you don’t already know, its a punching exclusive martial art which really makes your endurance a lot better.

Capoeira- a martial art with a break dancing like theme made by african slaves in brazil it uses kicks, sweeps, acrobatic like movements, and will help you if you ever feel like taking hip-hop or break dancing.

you should also really consider taking a martial art that has some kind of grappling incorporated into it.

1) Capoeira
This is a very acrobatic, very energetic Brazilian martial art. Capoeira consists of a stylized dance, practiced in a circle called the roda, with sound background provided by percussion instruments, like the agogo, the atabaqui, etc. The Berimbau is a non-percussion instrument that is always used on rodas.

Capoeira relies heavily on kicks and leg sweeps for attacks and dodges for defenses. It is not uncommon to not be taught any kind of hand strike of parry, though arm positioning for blocks is taught.

2) Karate -
Okinawan Karate styles tend to be hard and external. In defense they tend to be circular, and in offense linear. Okinawan karate styles tend to place more emphasis on rigorous physical conditioning than the Japanese styles. Japanese styles tend to have longer, more stylistic movements and to be higher commitment. They also tend to be linear in movement, offense, and defense.

Both tend to be high commitment, and tend to emphasize kicks and punches, and a strong offense as a good defense. Becareful though. There are A LOT of schools that will teach you little and grab as much money from you as possible.

3) Muay Thai -
Muay Thai involves boxing techniques, hard kicking, and knee and elbow strikes. Low kicks to the thighs are a very distinguishing technique used frequently in Muay Thai. Stand up grappling is also used and allowed in the ring. Muay Thai practitioners develop a very high level of physical conditioning developed by its practitioners. It’s known as the art of the eight limbs. Many consider it the best striking art.

4) Taekwondo -
Primarily a kicking art. There is often a greater emphasis on the sport aspect of the Art. Tae-Kwon-Do stylists tend to fight at an extended range, and keep opponents away with their feet. It is a hard/soft, external, fairly linear style. It is known for being very powerful. Training tends to emphasize sparring, but has forms, and basics are important as well. There is a lot of competition work in many dojongs. Becareful with this one as well. As with Karate, there are a lot of schools that’ll swindle you.

Do not be impressed by ranks, titles, tournaments won, …etc. What matter most is finding an instructor that not only knows what he is doing but is good at teaching it to others.

Basic rule here is if the school is pushing you to earn a black belt, stay away. It is likely another McDojo. The real deal will not push or promiss that you will earn a belt.

Tae Kwon Do is another option- a heck of a lot of kicking.

Most systems use at least some throws, as they’re very useful when strikes aren’t practical or possible (in close or in a grapple.)

I’d avoid Aikido and Jujitsu, as I believe both of those are much more into grapples and throws.

See what’s available in your area, observe a class, and try one out (almost any school will give you at least one free class to try it out.) Good luck in your search and in your future training!