Australian work/life expert Barbara Pocock said the highly educated, professionally employed female population of the ACT faced distinct pressures related to their work and home responsibilities - particularly if they were employed in the public service.

For Jemima Walsh, the pressures can sometimes threaten to overwhelm her.

The 43-year-old public servant and mother of two says she prioritises her family and job and her own needs often come last on the list.

''For me it is a really fine balance of demands on my time.''

Some things, like a spotless house, or personal downtime - Ms Walsh hasn't read a book since Christmas - are unachievable and she is acutely aware that her daughters Imogen, 11, and Astrid, 8, will only be young for a short time, but ''life won't always be this crazy''.

Professor Pocock, director of the Centre for Work and Life at the University of South Australia, said the increasing demands of the public service as well as moves to more flexible work arrangements, supposed to make the sector more female-friendly, were actually ''blurring the lines between home and work'' and creating enormous stress and pressure on women who also juggled motherhood and caring responsibilities.

Canberra women presented a set of very different demographic characteristics to women in the other states and territories and this created a double-edged sword, according to Professor Pocock.

While Canberra women were more highly educated and able to access better-paid white-collar and professional jobs, they also worked longer hours and continued to undertake huge burdens of unpaid labour in the home, according to the most recent Australian Bureau of Statistics data.

''There are certainly pros and cons to being a woman in Canberra,'' Ms Pocock said.

''The pros include high disposable incomes which allow women to buy in support in the form of cleaning and household or childcare services or replacement and pre-prepared food … But that high income usually comes with time poverty, particularly in professional households.''

ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher said Canberra women probably struggled with the notion of being a ''supermum'' more than other women and they needed to be more honest with each other about their limits of professional and personal endurance.

Considering herself typical of the demographic, Ms Gallagher said one of the best things about Canberra was that women genuinely accessed the most influential and powerful positions across government, politics and business.

But when this was combined with responsibilities for raising children - and both parents were working - the juggle could be extreme.

''It's a lot of hard work, prioritising, battling with diaries and dealing with the inevitable mother guilt,'' Ms Gallagher said.

''I find myself, that the wheels really come off when one of

the kids gets sick.'' The mother of three said she always tried to be open about how much support she had from the bureaucracy and her large staff to hold down the ACT's highest political office.

''I certainly don't do it alone.''

She regularly blogged about the challenges she faced as a chief minister and a mum and said if forced to choose between the two, her family would come first in an instant.

As ACT Health Minister, Ms Gallagher said Canberra women boasted some of the best health statistics in the nation, particularly around maintaining a healthy weight and not smoking.

But she said alcohol consumption continued to be a problem for Canberra women and she was also concerned about the higher than average breast cancer rate.

Ms Gallagher said it was difficult to attribute breast cancer incidences to any one factor but putting off babies until later and consumption of alcohol could contribute.

She also noted that the ACT breast screening rates were lower than she would like.

Only 55 per cent of women in the target age group of 50-69 were attending screening against a yearly target of 60 per cent and a long-term target of 70.

Ms Gallagher said some anecdotal evidence suggested that Canberra women might feel too busy to prioritise screening, or their higher levels of education and engagement led them to ''second guess'' advice that screening was a valuable preventive measure.

''It's hard to say why, but I would definitely like to see more women get screened.''

Professor of Gynaecology and Obstetrics at the Australian National University Professor Steve Robson said Canberra women were extremely engaged with health issues and made choices around childbirth accordingly.

He said that stereotyping of the typical affluent Canberra woman would suggest many would opt for a caesarean birth, the ACT had the lowest rate of C-sections in the nation after the Northern Territory.

Canberra mothers also breastfed their babies to a greater degree and across a greater age group than other mothers.

''Like with everything, Canberra mothers often approach birth having done a lot of research,'' Professor Robson said.

''They usually try to make choices that are best for themselves and their babies,'' he said.

But he attributed lower levels of obesity in the ACT with Canberra mothers generally being less likely to require a C-section.

The data showing Canberra mothers were the least likely to want pain relief during birth was a little more perplexing.

''Trust me, I see lots of women who definitely want pain relief,'' he said.

But he suggested that local access to continuity of care, fitness, as well as mental preparation for a birth could be behind the statistic.