Workplace flexibility matters more to men than to women, at least in terms of who takes advantage of such benefits.

Men were more likely than women to report using such work-life balance benefits as flex time, child care, paid and unpaid leave and even transition back to work from leave, according to a study of 902 working adults by Harris on behalf of the American Psychological Association's Center for Organizational Excellence.

The pollsters asked workers how often they utilized various types of benefits that fall under the flexibility or work-life balance definition. They also sought input about tendencies to interrupt work time with non-work matters, such as personal communications or taking care of family matters. Finally, they asked how often work intruded on personal time.