So far most of my main characters (especially when I write from their perspective) have been female, like me. But generally, the evil characters will be male or more of an asexual character. In my current novel, I think the evil will be more of a council of lesser evils, making up as a whole a larger evil. There will, of course, be females on the council. I think the reason I don't usually write from the perspective of males is because the only close male friend I have (no, I've never had a boyfriend, so don't go there) is so enigmatic. I can't understand him at all somedays, but I love him all the more for it. My female friends, I can usually predict what they'll say, what they're thinking, and to a certain extent what mood they are in whitin seconds of seeing them. Not that they are boring or shallow, its just that I can read they're body language and the slightest outward twitch, and know what's going on with them. I just DO NOT understand the opposite sex's thoughts and reasonings.
I think it is very important to have a mix of characters. An audience must have someone to relate too. If your audience is mainly preteen girls, go ahead and cut the leading men down to one or two, and feel free to talk about all your female gripes (and pains). But if your audience is diverse, its best to have a character that everyone can find a trait (physical can work, but emotional flaws eg. anger issues work the best) that they can relate too, and 'latch' on too for the diration of the story. That's just my opinon though.
