Drunken sex with strangers, flaky friends and no savings: The regrets of today's twentysomething women laid bare

Dating disasters, awkward sex and the struggle to get a dream career off the ground are all experienced by the 20-somethings in hit TV show Girls.
Now a new survey has found that life really imitates art for today's young women as many experience the same regrets as the characters in the New York based comedy drama.
Readers of glamour.com were quizzed on the trials and tribulations they experienced in their twenties, covering everything from dating and sex, through to their finances and attitudes to drinking, with fascinating results. 

True to life: The characters in the TV show Girls are struggling to find their way in their careers and relationships

Of the 3,600 readers questioned, 72 per cent said they regret at least one person they dated in their twenties while 77 per cent wished they'd never had a one-night stand. Thirty per cent said they were ashamed to admit they'd slept with a stranger when drunk.

 

More than half, 54 per cent, said they had unprotected sex - with 12 per cent catching an STI as a result and 61 per cent have either had an abortion or know someone who has.
The survey was inspired by the award-winning U.S. TV show Girls, written by Lena Durham, 26, who also stars as Hannah. The plot follows the plight of her and her friends as they grapple with bad sex and men who won't commit whilst also desperately seeking job satisfaction.

Friendships tested: Many of the young women surveyed said there were tensions in their circle of friends

Girls is said to offer a more realistic portrayal of life as a female 20something in the big city than it's similar-on-paper predecessor, Sex and the City. And the results of Glamour's survey seems to confirm this.
Perhaps misled by the glamorous bed-hopping lives of the characters in SATC, 18 per cent of respondents thought they’d be having more sex in their twenties than they actually are.
When it comes to settling down, 28 per cent said they regret staying in a relationship because it was 'comfortable'. 

Along with love life woes, many of the respondents said the course of their friendships didn't run smooth either. A massive 81 per cent confessed there were 'tensions' in their friendships with flaky friends cancelling plans at the last minute the biggest annoyance for 59 per cent.
As they attempt to forge their careers, 45 per cent thought they’d get their dream job in their twenties while 44 per cent wish they had worked out what they wanted to do sooner.
More than half, 55 per cent, regret not being more self-assured at work and 28 per cent regret not speaking about up about a payrise or promotion.

Regrets: Seventy-seven per cent wished they had never had a one night stand

The full article is in this month's Glamour

A shocking 20 per cent confessed to trying to do their job while drunk. Alcohol was also to blame for many other regrets. Seventy-five per cent had done something drunk that they wouldn’t do sober while 77 per cent risked their safety after one too many.
On the subject of their finances, 61 per cent spend more than they earn, with 38 per cent relying on their overdraft to live and 16 per cent running up to £5,000 debt on their credit card.
Nearly half, 46 per cent, have no savings and 69 per cent feel under pressure to be financially independent.
Jo Elvin, editor of Glamour, said the results reminded her of her own misguided youth. She said: 'I found it really interesting – and reassuring – that women in their 20s are making the same mistakes I made in my 20s! It seems the fundamentals of being human don't really change.'
Ian Fullerton, HBO home entertainment's director of marketing and sales UK adds: 'What seems to resonate with people about GIRLS is the fact that it takes a very real look at the variety of hilarious, cringe-worthy and extremely intimate observations of people in their twenties. 
'The show is very relatable and the Glamour survey results show that everyone has been through similar experiences with money, friendships, sex or careers as they grow up. Making mistakes can be a valuable part of life’s experiences.'