A member of the women's rights organization Union des Femmes du Niger, she became active in politics in the 1960s.
From 1996 to 1999, she was the only woman to serve as a member of the National Assembly and was elected as the fourth vice president of its Bureau.
[1][2] Initially Schmidt Degener worked in the import-export business and ran a number of hotels and restautants.
In 1960, she became a member of the Nigerien Progressive Party – African Democratic Rally (PPN-RDA) and was active in the women's rights association Union des Femmes du Niger.
In the early 1990s, she joined the Democratic and Social Convention (CDS-Rahama) supported by President Mahamane Ousmane.