After receiving her bachelor's, master's and doctor's degree in Sociology at Ewha Womans University, she began serving as Professor of Sociology at Choongnam University in 1981. During her tenure as professor at Choongnam University, she served as Visiting Professor at Davis & Elkins College in the USA and as Research Professor at Freie Universitaet Berlin in Germany.

 As from April 2001 to April 2004, Minister Jang served as President of the Korean Women’s Development Institute, Korea’s representative research institute on women’s policies. In January 2005, she became the Minister of Gender Equality, and since June 2005, with the launching of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, she has been serving as the Minister of Gender Equality and Family of Korea.

 During her tenure at Choongnam University and her term of office as President of the Korean Women’s Development Institute, she played an active role as governmental advisor in various fields, as Member of the National Economic Advisory Council, Member of the Presidential Commission on Small and Medium Enterprises, as well as Member of the Presidential Committee on Education & Human Resources. As the Director of Korea Women’s Political Solidarity (1999~2001), she also committed herself fervently in promoting women’s rights.