Hell, even Alice is a decent example of a female character because it's relevant that she is, whith maternity being a "theme" throughout. Clones of yourself when you're a woman are extra fucked up when you think about it,
What I find is that, in 99% the stories, the character being a woman... Changes nothing, and deep down it's just a dude.
In Star Wars itself: characters like Leia, Padme, Amidala, Ventress, and an array from Clone Wars; could not be men without changing the character from its roots. Meanwhile, Rei or Jyn are... Luke with tits. Well, and being perfect but crying all the time because they feel like they aren't.
Hell, seen any "gender swap" in something? Adventure Time or Shovel Knight, for example. The personality changes a bit and of course the design, but it's all largely the same. And it's alright because, deep down, a competent team makes the genders normally just fit their design, dialogue or whatever, to make a better more coherent story.
You don't do that by forcing it in whatever bland character so it's a selling point for idiots and raising dust in the media. Which is the case here.
They could have done it so that women have an extremely hard time in the Empire (sorry, FIRST ORDER) ranks, but we don't really know, and so it'd justify that the character is so terribly competent (because it will). Maybe her mother was the only one another high ranking female officer in history of the organization. Maybe her brother is always sent to the ones before her and you have to look for him every damn time, until you don't. Or nothing, actually. As I said, it doesn't need any of this to be a good story.
It fascinates me that you appreciate more a pair of jugs in a 3D model just being there than whatever it might do or say. It explains a lot, actually.
