[dserbokim]

I think Kendo is great for increasing self-esteem and assertiveness because a good size part of it is teaching yourself to be alert and aware of opportunities that open up and then seizing it with total committment. Making a good "cut" gives you a very rewarding feeling. You also get hit, and if you persevere, you learn not to take it personally, but instead come to see that as an opportunity to improve.

In what limited Kendo I've seen and studied, I've also found the community to be very close, and yet inviting to newcomers. I've never seen any kind of snobbery or such.

I think another benefit for women in Kendo is that there's not as much body-to-body contact as there would be in an empty-hand style of martial arts. You have shinai and eventually bogu armour, so you shouldn't have the issue of pervs "taking advantage of the situation" as they might in something like a grappling style.