Biography
I am a Ph.D. student in the Department of Sociology at Ohio State University (OSU) and a graduate student affiliate of the Institute of Population Research (IPR). The Fulbright doctoral fellowship partially funds my studies. Previously, I received my BSc in Economics and Business Economics (with a specialization in Emerging Markets) from Maastricht University. In 2020, I graduated with an MSc in Gender and Women’s Studies from Middle East Technical University (METU). Then, in 2021, I graduated with another BSc in Sociology (with a minor in Philosophy) from METU.
Given my interdisciplinary training, my research often speaks to multiple literatures. Very broadly, I focus on understanding the connections between the root causes of social inequalities, how the intensity of those inequalities changes based on individuals’ different social positions—such as class, gender, and ethnicity—and how people navigate different systems of power given their social positions and resources.
My work sits at the intersection of sociology of population/demography and feminist studies. I use both quantitative and qualitative methods, whichever the question and available data necessitates.
I am committed to publishing my work open‑access. If you have any issues accessing a paper, please reach out at esengen.1@osu.edu.
Interests
- Sexual & Reproductive Health: contraception, abortion, female genital cutting
- Gender: feminist theory & methodology, feminist resistance, local feminisms
- Health & Medical Sociology: healthcare spending, care economy, out‑of‑pocket costs
- Regional Focus: Middle East & North Africa, Central & North America