I know for me, before I got sober (not that being sober has to do with it) I kept all women at arms length-thinking they were all gossips and b**ches. When I allowed myself to feel vunerable again I realized that all women weren't like this and that as long as I am good at detecting BS and protecting myself I could open myself up to other women. Now I have a really good support network but it took years. Partly because I felt like I could get along with men better but my own personal self worth was caught up in what men thought of me. These were messages that carried over from my childhood. It mattered very much what all people thought of me but it mattered way to much how men thought of me. I measure myself with their ruler. I realize how unhealthy that is now. As far as balance goes, for me it helps to have both men and women friends but I wouldnt go so far as to say that a woman without female friends was imbalanced. I think balance very much depends on what kind of relationships are fulfilling and what you are looking for in potential friends. I do think that actively avoiding ever being friends with women if you are a woman may be a sign of something imbalanced but there are a lot of women that feel like they cant relate to other women or that they can't feel safe with other women.