Shaking the Traditional Order: Women’s Conversion to New Christian Churches in Sub-Saharan Africa

In sub-Saharan Africa, women constitute the majority of new Christian membership (including Evangelical and Pentecostal denominations), and this gender gap exceeds that of any other religion. Existing explanations for conversion to these churches emphasize demand for mutual help or informal insurance. We instead show that emancipation is central: these churches provide services that support women’s economic advancement and help them challenge patriarchal norms. Using experimental data from Benin, we find that women randomly offered an economic opportunity become more likely to convert, partly because these churches help counter witchcraft threats, a risk that disproportionately targets economically successful women. To assess external validity, we combine large African datasets with local variation in exposure to positive economic shocks using exogenous changes in cash crop prices and the implementation of world bank projects with a gender focus. Women are more likely to join new Christian churches following such shocks, especially where witchcraft beliefs are widespread. There, women work more, have fewer children, and exercise greater decision-making power, while both women and men reject traditional beliefs, rituals, and authorities.