Abstract In the early 20th century, with the development of the Reform Movement, women’s education began to rise in China. During the decades, women have been walking out of boudoirs, into schools and the workplace, gaining the chance of being independent and liberated. This change has been particularly dramatic and varied in Shanghai, a modern metropolis. Women's social gender and social roles have undergone a complete transformation in the process of women’s education and career evolution in modern Shanghai. Women gained social recognition and self-reform in education who became more engaged in the education process and found their places in education. They emerged along with the process of urban occupational ecology modernization which have provided vivid career samples for modern Shanghai. The influence of education on women’s careers and self-development is diversified. The self-identity and cognition of women are constantly changing. The awakening of women's self-consciousness in education and career fields is a process full of struggles. However, women achieved self-redemption during social transformation in the end and gradually approached women’s autonomy in education, in gender roles, and in career.
