An increase in the number of fathers wanting to spend more time with their children has led to almost a million men in Britain choosing to work part-time.

Thousands of fathers have joined a growing trend for men to share childcare responsibilities by cutting their hours, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows.

It comes after separate research showed that more than two thirds of fathers under-35 regularly take their children to and from school.

Official data shows a growing number of men now choose to work part-time so they can look after children

The ONS asks part-time workers whether they do so out of choice or necessity, allowing experts to gather more detailed data.

Statistics show the number of men choosing to work fewer hours has jumped in the last two decades, from 367,000 in 1995 to around 992,000 today.

Working women are still more likely to reduce their hours to look after children however, with 4.6million women saying they work part-time out of choice.

Karen Mattison from Timewise, a recruitment agency specialising in flexible work, welcomed the ONS statistics, calling the increase in fathers spending more time at home 'refreshing'.

She said: 'The data shows that part-time work is something people choose to do and is not only for mothers and women.

'Being able to work part-time allows people the freedom to do what they want with the rest of their lives and more people are willing to take that salary sacrifice to do this.'

A report released yesterday boosted claims that younger men are now more likely to share childcare with their partners or wives.

While it found that around half of all working fathers drop off their children at school 'some or most of the time', those under-35 are even more likely to do so.

The statistics emerged after a survey found that two thirds of young fathers now take their children to school

Workers who could not get flexible working hours however have more difficulty, with 44% of working fathers admitting they have lied to their boss or 'thrown a sickie' due to family commitments.

Half of working fathers said they would be nervous about asking their employer to reduce their working hours and a third said they would be nervous about asking their employer if they could miss work for a family event.

Sarah Jackson from working parents charity Working Families insisted more needs to be done to help families cope.

She said: 'Workplace culture is very important to working families, and we strongly encourage employers to work with the grain of family life, so that parents can give of their best at work and at home.'