Discrimination against women and girls remains pervasive globally and is a critical hurdle to quality education and a healthy upbringing to every child, according to a new report by the United Nations' Children's Fund (Unicef). It takes many forms, including the preference for sons over daughters, cultural traditions, limited opportunities in education and physical and sexual violence.

'Women's influence in the key decisions that shape their lives and those of their children must be enhanced in the household, the workplace and the political sphere,' the report says. 'A change for the better in any one of these realms influences women's equality in the others and has a profound and positive impact on children's well being and development.'

Research shows that giving women an equal say over household decisions will lead to improved nutrition, health care and education of children. Unicef says the status of women has improved since the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979.

In 2000, promoting gender equality and empowering women was adopted as one of the Millennium Development Goals with a view to achieving equality of access to primary and secondary education by 2005, a goal which has been put back to 2015.

Since late 2005, Chile, Jamaica, Liberia and South Korea have elected or selected women as their heads of government, bringing the number of women heads of state or government to 14. Nevertheless, in two-thirds of developing nations women do not have an equal say in household decisions such as spending on food and health care, according to data from 30 countries provided by Demographic and Health Surveys.

Factors affecting women's level of influence include control of income and assets, the difference in age between husband and wife and their levels of education, all of which affect their bargaining power. Domestic violence, whether physical or sexual, is normally perpetrated by adult men and threatens not only female health and emotional wellbeing but often forces women to endure subordinate positions and economic insecurity within households.

The consequences can be as dire for children as for the women themselves: increased infant mortality rates, stunted growth and illiteracy. A study by the International Food Policy Research Institute shows if men and women had equal influence in the decision-making, the incidence of underweight children less than three years old in South Asia would fall by up to 13 percentage points, resulting in 13.4 million fewer undernourished children in the region; in sub-Saharan Africa an additional 1.7 million children would be adequately nourished.

A Unicef survey of selected developing countries found that on average, children with uneducated mothers are at least twice as likely to be out of school as children whose mothers attended primary school. By contrast, women with some formal education are more likely to delay marriage and childbirth, ensure their children are immunised, be better informed about their own and their children's nutritional requirements and space the births of their children.

In many poor countries, each additional year of formal education completed by a mother leads to her children being kept in school up to 18 months longer than would otherwise be the case. Unicef advocates a rights-based approach to tackle discrimination.

'Women themselves are the most important catalysts for change,' the report says. 'By challenging and defying discriminatory attitudes in their communities, women's groups can advance the rights of girls and women for generations to come.'

Gender bias in property and inheritance laws also leave women and children at greater risk of poverty. The high cost of good-quality childcare in many countries forces low-income families to rely on extended family members or older children, usually girls and often at the cost of withdrawing them from school. In many regions, girls remain significantly more likely than boys to miss out on secondary education. Unicef estimates that, on average, only 43 per cent of secondary age girls attend school in developing countries and the problem is most acute in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.

Despite steady advances, women account for just short of 17 per cent of parliamentarians worldwide, 14 per cent of ministers and 6 per cent of heads of government. In local politics the participation of women can have an immediate impact on the distribution of community resources for women and children and promotion of child care.

Women's participation in peace negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction is vital to ensure the safety and protection of children and other vulnerable populations. 'Yet women rarely make it to the peace table,' the report says.

The report sets out a road map for maximising gender equality through education, financing, legislation, legislative quotas, women empowering women, engaging men and boys and improved research and data.

'Ensuring that girls and boys have equal educational opportunities is one of the most powerful steps towards combating gender discrimination,' the report says. This requires abolishing school fees, encouraging parents and communities to invest in girls' education and creating safe girl-friendly schools that are without bias.

Providing separate and adequate toilets for girls and boys, for instance, can be crucial to ensuring girls do not drop out of school after puberty. School curricula must also impress upon teachers and students the importance of gender equality. 'One way to help eliminate bias is to increase the number of female teachers in the classroom,' the report adds.

So why was Bhauri Malavat lucky despite being married as a child? Because her father was a teacher and made sure she still went to school, even repeating one year she failed. Inspired by hearing about a famous policewoman, Kiran Bedi, in class, she has since joined the force in Bikaner, a town in her home state.

But the key to empowering the majority of women and girls in developing countries and safeguarding their rights is legislative reform. Comprehensive measures are required to prevent domestic violence and gender-based violence in conflicts.

National legal reforms in property law and inheritance rights can increase women's access to land and property. But governments also need to address customary laws that discriminate against women and ensure equal access to justice and legal protection for women and children. Unicef advocates the use of quotas as a proven method of breaking through the glass ceiling in politics.

It is telling that of the 20 countries in the world with the most women in parliament 17 have quotas. The report concludes that real progress based on respect, universal human rights and equal opportunities, can be made towards transforming discriminatory behaviour, customs, laws, institutions and practices.

'For women, men and for children, the time to refocus our efforts is now,' Unicef says. 'Gender equality will not only empower women to overcome poverty but will also assist their children, families, communities and countries as well. It is not only morally right, it is pivotal to human progress.'