I personally find pumps to be much more difficult than sandals. It's probably due to the shape of my feet, and I am a little bit embarrassed to admit that as much time and effort as I have spent measuring and analysing my shoes, I really have no idea how my feet stack up against an average woman's foot, even there is even such a thing. I know I'm a size 9 U.S. women's, and that I'm halfway between a B and a C width, so most women's shoes work just fine for me. What seems to be the case for me is that my heels must be kind of narrow left to right because a lot of the time I walk right out of pumps without even trying. I have found that Steve Madden pumps tend to work for me, but I have to wear them pretty tight, and some might say uncomfortably tight. Sandals do not have this problem, as they are held on by straps which are usually adjustable. Or there is no back at all (my preference), and you don't care how the heel fits because it doesn't exist.
You and my both my sons have something in common. None of y'all ever wear anything but boots. Of course, theirs do not have anything higher than a normal work boot heel. Although I my older son (26) has got a pair of loggers that have pretty decent heels on them. 2 inch, probably.