"Instructions have been issued to prepare a federal draft law to organise ownership and registration of real estate across the country," Al Daheri told the Federal National Council (FNC) on Tuesday.

At present, real estate is subject to local legislations in each emirate.

Al Daheri was responding to a question from Amer Abdul Jalil, an FNC member from Abu Dhabi, concerning children of an Emirati woman married to a foreigner being denied the right to register their inherited real estate.

The minister did not say whether the law will provide for other steps for women's rights in the UAE.

Emirati women married to foreigners are now entitled to get government housing even if their children do not have UAE citizenship, according to draft legislation pertaining to the Zayed Housing Programme recently approved by the FNC.

Women are denied the right to pass on citizenship to their husbands and children. But men can apply for citizenship for their foreign wives after five years of marriage, while their children are citizens from birth.

Children of Emirati mothers and foreign fathers have few privileges, like the legal right to residence, employment and government services such as free health and education.

The FNC doesn't legislate, it just reviews draft legislation which comes from the ministries. So draft legislation is sent from the ministry to the FNC, then this draft legislation, depending on the subject of the legislation, is sent to the relevant parliamentary committee. The committee studies the draft, amends and introduces new clauses, and either recommends or rejects the draft law. The committee's proposal on the draft legislation is then presented in the FNC for it to debate and take a final decision.

Najla Al Awadi, a member from Dubai, said women still have major hurdles, particularly in terms of reforming the mindset that an Emirati woman who marries a non-Emirati man forfeits her right as a citizen.

"A mindset that applies a hypocritical, double standard, judging women so harshly and not applying any such judgement on an Emirati man who marries a non-Emirati woman, because by virtue of his gender he is above any such judgement," Najla said.

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