Introduction: Among pleasant and unpleasant experiences of women, divorce is as a severe crisis for a woman's life that has individual and social consequences and understanding the experiences play an important role in guiding the therapists in order to plan for support. Therefore, this qualitative study aimed to understand the experiences of women after divorce.

Methods: A qualitative study as a descriptional phenomen was performed in this research. The method of collecting the data in this study was semi-structured interviews with 11 female participants that had experienced divorce and were living in different regions of Tehran. Interviews were based on determining the life experience of these women after divorce. Collaizi's method was used for data analysis.

Results: Three main concepts were extracted from the experiences of the participants, including vulnerability of women, life with stigma, shields against women's vulnerability.

Conclusions: The experience of divorce was meant to fit within the umbrella of individual vulnerability, and social implications. Various participants tried to employ protective mechanisms, such as religious beliefs, adapt with the new situation and reduce somatic, psychological and social trauma. There is a global need for health providers to gain insight about the life experiences of divorced women.