ABU DHABI -- The oil-rich United Arab Emirates on Wednesday got its first woman judge, a job hitherto reserved for men in the conservative Gulf country.

UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan, acting in his capacity as ruler of Abu Dhabi, named Kholoud Ahmad Jouan al-Dhaheri as a judge in the emirate, the wealthiest and largest in the seven-member UAE federation, the official WAM news agency reported.

The move made the UAE the second Arab country in the Gulf after Bahrain to name a female judge.

The appointment reflects "the government's keenness to involve women in the development drive" and "boost their role in society," said Sultan Saaed al-Badi, a senior official of Abu Dhabi's judiciary.

"I will Endeavour to perform my functions with utmost (competence) ... in order to provide a successful model of Emirati women working in the judiciary," Dhaheri was quoted by WAM as saying.

The new judge graduated in law and sharia (Islamic law) from UAE University and has been a practicing lawyer for eight years, the news agency said.

The UAE cabinet includes four women. Nine women also sit on the 40-member Federal National Council, an assembly that advises the government.