Sex differences in faculty members' use of and evaluation of sabbaticals and leaves taken at a large research university were examined. Attention was directed to sex differences in two faculty programs: a competitive leave program, established in 1954, which awards faculty a leave for one quarter at full pay; and a noncompetitive sabbatical program, established in the early 1900s, which grants faculty sabbaticals for 1 year at half salary. Usable questionnaire responses were obtained from 1,168 tenured faculty at the Twin Cities Campus of the University of Minnesota. It was found that a higher percentage of males than females had received both a noncompetitive sabbatical as well as a competitive quarter leave. Despite the variation in percentages of awards to females versus males, institutional records revealed that the percentages of male and female awardees fluctuated considerably from year to year, and no clear trends appeared for the last 15 years. Although male and female faculty who had taken a sabbatical or leave responded similarly in their descriptions of benefits of a sabbatical or leave, male and female faculty who had not taken one differed in their stated reasons for not doing so. The findings are discussed within the context of the potential advantages to the individual and institution of using the leave options. (SW)