  This paper studies how religious competition, as measured by the emergence of
religious organizations with innovative worship styles and cultural practices,
impacts domestic violence. Using data from Colombia, the study estimates a
two-way fixed-effects model and reveals that the establishment of the first
non-Catholic church in a predominantly Catholic municipality leads to a
significant decrease in reported cases of domestic violence. This effect
persists in the long run, indicating that religious competition introduces
values and practices that discourage domestic violence, such as household
stability and reduced male dominance. Additionally, the effect is more
pronounced in municipalities with less clustered social networks, suggesting
the diffusion of these values and practices through social connections. This
research contributes to the understanding of how culture influences domestic
violence, emphasizing the role of religious competition as a catalyst for
cultural change.
