Study of Women’s Lived Experiences of Earthquake in Sarpol-e-Zahab

Since earthquake has a wide range of effects on people's lives, we can think of it as an important variable in the changes of societies’ social life. The social consequences of the disaster vary according to age, gender, economic and social class. Children, women and low-income people are among the most suffering groups. This qualitative research has been conducted with the aim of understanding the women’s lived experiences of earthquakes in Sarpol-e-Zahab. This study has used a phenomenological approach and conducted semi-structured interviews with 30 women affected by the earthquake. As a result, there are 90 interview texts and 10 written texts of informant’s lived experiences and their interpretation, which are recorded in 120 semantic units. The findings of the study, which are 18 sub-themes and finally 5 main themes, show that women go through very difficult conditions. Identity crisis and their incompatibility with the post-earthquake condition, sexual abuse, committing suicide, decreasing in the age of committing suicide, earthquake and post-earthquake phobia, sudden lifestyle change, lack of peace, lack of facilities and financial capacity, qualitative and quantitative difficulties and disorders in schools, the increase in family strife, the increase in divorce, the increase in violence have caused social, psychological and cultural unrest in this city.