Zareen and Majid Durrani

Abstract

This disguised case focuses on the challenges faced by a female entrepreneur, Zareen Durrani, in balancing her personal and professional life. Details about the family background, education and work experience of the two protagonists of the case, Zareen and her husband Majid Durrani, are provided to understand their goals and aspirations. Both are ambitious professionals and their work related ambitions create serious tensions in their personal lives. While the case deals with deeper, macro-level factors (such as socioeconomic, cultural and traditional forces) in shaping the positions and worldviews of the protagonists, an immediate and very real issue of their children coming down with chicken pox brings all the tensions to a head. Which parent should take significant time out will be determined partly by the participants’ own worldviews of the appropriate roles assigned to the two sexes by society. The case examines interesting ways to explore and debate socially designated roles in Pakistani society. Majid Durrani poses specialization of labour, contract violation and cost-benefit arguments to make his case while Zareen has her own set of fairly valid arguments. The case will expose participants to the various issues that women face in balancing home and work.