The most difficult thing is going against the preconceived notion that males and females act in extremely different ways. I think the way minds think, despite gender, are relatively the same. Instead of focusing on what my male character would think, I go back to the character sheet and decide how he would react to a situation based on his personality. I think more about character traits than gender. A stubborn character is going to act a certain way whether you set them as male, female, ect.
I do think fantasy settings are a bit more forgiving with the whole ‘writing from an opposite gender’ thing. In a modern day setting, readers might expect the story and characters to fall more in line with how the world currently works and acts from the male and female perspective. Luckily, in my own made up world, I can or cannot set whatever norms I so choose. It’s another reason why I gravitate toward writing and reading fantasy.
Whatever gender your POV character may be, the most important part is making the reader understand and relate to them.
Do you agree? How do you approach writing genders other than your own?