A new survey shows that while the IT world is pretty sexist, no part of it is worse than the IT Security industry, which is so backward it makes Neanderthals look like Homo Superior.

A report from the Centre for Cyber Safety and Education and the Executive Women’s Forum (EWF) said that not only do Women make up one in ten of the cyber security workforce, they are paid much less despite having a better education than their sexist male colleagues.

The survey of more than 19,000 participants around the world finds that women have higher levels of education than men, with 51 percent holding a master’s degree or higher, compared to 45 percent of men.

Yet despite out qualifying them, women in cybersecurity earned less than men at every level and the wage gap shows very little signs of improvement. Men are four times more likely to hold C and executive level positions, and nine times more likely to hold managerial positions than women, globally.

More worrying is that 51 percent of women report encountering one or more forms of discrimination in the cybersecurity workforce. In the Western world, discrimination becomes far more prevalent the higher a woman rises in an organisation.

Lynn Terwoerds, executive director of the EWF said that companies who under-represent and under-use female talent were facing both a critical business issue.

They were also hindering the development of world class cybersecurity organizations and resilient companies, as well as the nation’s safety and protection.

Women who feel valued in their position are in organisations which provide training and leadership development resources.