Right there with you. I have relatively large hands, and I still prefer playing my 7/8ths-scale electric guitar for the easier reach. It's a noticeably lesser amount of strain on my wrists and joints.
By playing a shorter scale guitar you sacrifice some of the tone and the ability to play on the highest frets.
Unlike size, stretching can be improved by exercise by A LOT. I use size S (male) gloves myself, yet I can reach C-E on the piano and the 11th fret from a 5th fret barre on a 25.5 scale guitar.
For me, I don't care about ultimate tone, or better access to the highest notes.
I simply want to enjoy playing as much as possible, and make my friends smile while we share the experience. Shorter-scaled guitars are, for me, part of what lets that happen.
Unlike size, stretching can be improved by exercise by A LOT. I use size S (male) gloves myself, yet I can reach C-E on the piano and the 11th fret from a 5th fret barre on a 25.5 scale guitar.