LONDON, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- When it comes to getting to work, men make longer commute journeys than women, a study by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed Wednesday.
The study shows that two-thirds of commutes lasting an hour or more are made by men, while more than half of shorter work journeys taking no more than 15 minutes are made by women workers.
But the statistics also reveal that the number of women making long commutes is increasing, especially in London.
The number of women travelling for more than an hour to their workplaces in the British capital has increased by 46 percent since 2011, accounting for more than half of the overall growth in long commutes for women, said ONS.
London, where short commutes are relatively rare, is also the only region to see gender equality in terms of people travelling for 15 minutes or less to get to work, said ONS.
In only one region, northeast England, do women make more long commute journeys to work compared with men.
ONS said cycling is among the most unequal means of commuting to workplaces, with men accounting for 74.1 percent of those who cycle to work.
Men are also more likely than women to commute by train, accounting for almost 58 percent of train commutes, while women are more likely to walk or travel by bus, accounting for 59 percent of bus commuters and 60 percent of those who walk to work.
Equality only comes into the commute equation when the car is considered. ONS said it is the most equal and the most popular form of transport, accounting for two-thirds of all commutes.
The biggest divide is the number of people heading to work by motor cycle, with figures showing it is almost exclusively a male mode of commute transport.
A spokesperson for ONS said: "Long commutes are on the rise, especially among women. The number of people commuting for more than an hour to get to work has risen by 31 percent since 2011."
Although men remain more likely to make commutes lasting more than an hour, this rise over time has been led by women. The number of women with long commutes is up by 39 percent, compared with a 27 percent rise for men.
