In 1983, Guinchard-Kunstler was appointed Deputy Mayor of Besançon by Robert Schwint [fr], a position she held until 1995, when she was elected to the municipal council.

In 2001, she left the National Assembly following her appointment as Secretary of State for the Elderly by Prime Minister Lionel Jospin.

Guinchard-Kunstler's name was floated as a possibility, but Jean-Louis Fousseret obtained the Socialist Party nomination and eventually the seat.

On International Women's Day in 2005, she presided over the National Assembly and answered questions on television for one hour.

[2] She then launched with Serge Guérin [fr] the Appel pour l'équité en faveur des aidants.