Glengarry Glen Ross - Where ARE the Women?

So we're asked the question: "How are we to deal with the presence/absence of women in Glengarry Glen Ross?" My question to you is: "What women?" Yes, there are maybe 20 lines in the whole play that mention two women. That's about it. Okay, let's talk about why so little references to women in this play about real estate salesmen in the very early eighties.
Glengarry was probably written in 1980 or 1981, as we see it was published in 1982. At that time, few women were in marketing, as we call it now. Your average woman in the sixties was a housewife, and this changed very little in the seventies. But, in the seventies you have a movement called Woman's Liberation. There were women protesting the oppressive roles that they were stuck in. They were burning their bras in mass assemblies, and carrying signs that spoke their mind of their social prohibitions that were prominent then. All this to say, the Glengarry Glen Ross play did not have female sales representatives because that is the way our society was back then.
Like it or not, there are only references to women in this play. But the references to one Jinny Lingk indicate that she is a powerful woman who wears the pants in her family. Her husband, James, tells Moss that "She wants her money back" (90). She has given James strict instructions regarding what he is to do. James Lingk is obviously a husband who is used to his wife telling him what to do. Apparently, he is not bright enough to see through the con game that Moss played with him, and he admits he does not have the power to negotiate with Moss (or with his wife). Moss suggests that Mrs. Lingk has prudence. This is actually a compliment to her. It suggests that she is wise and is frugal in her affairs. This is unfortunate to Moss, who loses a sale based on this quality she has. But she is looking out for the family nest egg, and is aware of the steps to take if James is unable to get the check back. She is a woman of action. This is in contrast to the men in the play who are all men of talk, and very little action.
Given the signs of the times in the eighties, Mamet has not included women in his sales force at Premier Properties. The language that the men use amongst themselves is masculine, raw, and rough. Endless references to male and female sexual organs portray a battery of dialogue that is intended to intimidate each other, and attempts to diminish each other's manhood. This serves to perpetuate the crudeness with which men will talk to one another in the work place. Actually, the conversations of Glengarry Glen Ross could easily be overheard in a locker room or a pool hall. It's macho talk by men who think of themselves as macho men. But is this big talk just a coverup for their insecurities about their own manhood? Providing for a family is one way in which men exert their masculine abilities. But several of the guys at this particular office are struggling to make any money. This is no secret: the board displays whose closing the deals and who isn't.
Williams is the character who is emasculated by almost everyone on the sales force. More references are made to his manhood (and lack thereof) than anyone else in this drama. He seems somewhat weak when he doesn't defend himself against the ruthless attacks. But what could be seen as weakness could also be revealed as strength. The power of words can make or break a man, but these words hurled at him by the frustrated men who report to him do not appear to bother him; rather, they roll off him like water on a duck's back. In the end, Williams prevails by solving the robbery mystery. He shows that he has been listening to Levine who slips up and gives away the fact that he saw Moss' contract on William's desk during the robbery. Even though he is severely attacked, he maintains his position as the man in charge, and singlehandedly traps Levine into admitting his crime.
Simply presenting a cast of men, with limited references to women, does not make Mamet a misogynist. For God sake, freedom of speech should allow someone to have an all male cast without the verdict being "Mamet hates women." I believe he just gave the world a glimpse into a predominantly male environment. It's okay, everybody! Lay off the man! There are plenty enough literary pieces that are about women only that are not equally criticized, aren't there? That's my point. Enough said.