IT is not only the WAGs the wives and girlfriends of the England football team who spend their lives shopping and partying, as a new survey shows. Kat Dibbits finds out more about the increasingly jetset lifestyles of young women.

GIRLS, it seems, just want to have fun, and nowhere is that more true than in the North of England. Eight out of 10 believe that all work and no play make Jane a dull girl, and more girls in the North than anywhere else would class themselves as spendaholics.

So what exactly does it mean to be a young woman in today's Britain?The 21st Century Young Woman's Survey of Great Britain, organised by More magazine, set about finding out.

Personality-wise, 88 per cent of Northern lasses would describe themselves as "kind", making us the nicest in the country.

A further 89pc say they are "down to earth and love having a laugh", 79pc say they are "caring", 75pc as "generous" and 68pc as "intelligent."

But we're not all nice 38pc would describe themselves as "demanding", 38pc as "bitchy" (the highest in the country), 23pc as "difficult" and 18 per cent as "bossy."

It would also seem that Northern women are more reckless than their compatriots elsewhere 33pc compared to a national average of 24pc.

And while life can be a fabulous social whirl, the financial reality can be frightening. Women in the North have more credit card debt than anywhere else in the country £5,520 compared to a national average of £3,830. Half admit to spending their salaries before they have earned them, and 92pc say their spending is down to seductive advertising.

Possibly as a result of this spendthrift lifestyle, 56pc still live at home, and most of those do not pay any rent. Indeed, 43pc are bailed out by generous parents when they over spend.

A passion for fashion is what defines most young women and, according to the survey, Victoria Beckham is most women's style icon. And many would like to emulate Mrs Beckhams' shopping habits, with one in 10 saying that they shop for clothes and accessories "daily." The average young woman's bedroom overflows with a whopping 151 items of clothing.

Donna Armstrong, editor of More Magazine, says: "Victoria Beckham is the ultimate icon for today's young woman. In fact, young women say they admire her as much as their own mum. They admire her style and want her wardrobe. She has a gorgeous husband and a glamorous life abroad.

"They're inspired by the fact that she's had her ups and downs and still come out on top. She's had her own career, survived marriage problems, got beautiful children and still controls her own business interests. They all want to be a WAG and Victoria is number one.

"This generation of young women are having the time of their lives and 23 is the ultimate age. They have their own income and independence and don't have to answer to anyone. They enjoy spending, socialising and having a laugh.

"Many have spent years in education they're the most examined generation ever and almost half have had to cope with divorced or separated parents. Now they just want to let their hair down and have fun."

This is in contrast to a survey last week which found more teenage girls than ever are likely to suffer from stress and depression.

While a worrying nine out of ten 14-year-olds say that they sometimes feel depressed, the majority of 20-somethings believe that "their life is much better than their mother's was at the same age" in all aspects except romance.

This despite the fact that more than a fifth of young women in Britain have been assaulted, and only five per cent of Northern women feel safe walking around after dark. A huge 28pc say that they have had their drink spiked, and 14pc carry some kind of protective weapon in their handbag.

However, they might be right about the lack of romance in modern life. While 95pc of Northern women say that they would like to get married, 83pc say that there is too much pressure to have sex nowadays and 41pc worry about catching a sexual disease.

Nevertheless, Northern women do seem to have the best sex lives in the country, with 52pc describing their sex lives as "good" and 29pc as "fantastic." Only 19pc described their bedroom activities as "not good", compared to a huge 38pc in London and the South. We are also the most faithful in the country, with only 29pc ever having cheated on a long-term boyfriend, compared to 35pc in London.

In keeping with their consumer habits, while the survey showed that today's young women care about the environment, it seems that they are unwilling to give up anything to protect it. Only three per cent would pay more tax, only six per cent would give up central heating and only nine per cent would give up their car.

So that is today's young Northern women fun-loving, kind spendaholics who think more about fun than finance and aspire to marrying a footballer. So those Bolton Wanderers boys had better watch out!