The commuter gender gap was laid bare today with figures showing men bear the brunt of long journeys to work.

Almost two-thirds of commutes lasting more than an hour are carried out by men, according to a new analysis.

Meanwhile, women are far more likely to be travelling for less than 15 minutes to get to their jobs.

The split - which appears to be down to females staying closer to home after having children - is highlighted in a report from the Office for National Statistics.

The study found that across the board, commutes still tend to be 15 minutes or less - but the proportion of people whose journeys last over an hour is rising dramatically.

Almost two-thirds of commutes lasting more than an hour are carried out by men, according to a new ONS analysis. Only the North East bucks the trend

Between 2011 and the end of last year the number of people with longer trips went up 31 per cent.

Much of the rise was accounted for by women - with numbers travelling for an hour plus up 39 per cent compared to 27 per cent for men.

Long commutes into London by women have risen by an eye-watering 46 per cent during the period, as families are increasingly pushed out of the capital by high prices.

But the overall picture still shows men are more likely to be travelling significant distances.

Some 65 per cent of trips lasting over 60 minutes were carried out by males, according to the ONS analysis of figures from October and December last year.

In the East of England the level hit 76 per cent, and only in the North East did women undertake more long journeys.

Just 9 per cent of commuters live in a different region to their place of work, and 65 per cent of them are men.

By contrast, women account for 55 per cent of the trips that last 15 minutes or less.

The proportion with these shorter journeys is higher in every part of the country apart from London - where the sexes are evenly balanced.

Men are more likely to commute by train, while women are more likely to walk or travel by bus.

The car is the most equal and the most popular form of transport, accounting for two-thirds of all commutes by both men and women.

Men are more likely to commute by train, while women are more likely to walk or travel by bus (file picture)

In contrast, getting to work by bike is mostly something men do - making up three quarters of the total.

Agnes Norris Keiller, an economist at the respected IFS think-tank, said: 'The gender differences in commuting times highlighted by the ONS are largely the result of women working closer to home after giving birth to their first child.

'The gender commuting gap widens considerably in the first decade after childbirth in a way that closely mirrors the gender wage gap.

'There are several reasons why shorter commutes might constrain women's wages.

'All the major UK political parties are committed to reducing the gender wage gap – so more evidence is needed to shed light on how it's linked to commuting patterns.'