Beyonce Knowles: being a feminist helps with men

The `Halo` singer - who is married to hip-hop superstar Jay-Z - says she`s always had good friendships with females and thinks that has played a big part in her never falling for the wrong type of man.

She said: "I think I am a feminist in a way. It`s not something I consciously decided I was going to be; perhaps it`s because I grew up in a singing group with other women, and that was so helpful to me. It kept me out of so much trouble and out of bad relationships. My friendships with my girls are just so much a part of me that there are things I am never going to do that would upset that bond. I never want to betray that friendship because I love being a woman and I love being a friend to other women. "I think we learn a lot from our female friends - female friendship is very, very important."

While her personal relationships are very important to her, Beyonce admits she sometimes finds it hard to balance everything in her life.

She told You magazine: "For me, balance is always really hard to find. I love so many different things, and to have the discipline to turn certain things away and focus on one thing at a time so that I can give it 100 per cent is really hard. "Probably the biggest challenge in my life is time - making sure I have time to be a wife, to be a singer, to be a songwriter, to be an actor and still have time for my clothing line and now for my perfume. I am like any other woman who has a child, who has a husband, who has a job. I think it`s the hardest thing about being a woman because we have so many responsibilities."

sections: Celebrities