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Scientists have studied the Dogon people of Mali. They're a diverse people:
Technically, they have converted to Catholicism, not Christianity.
They examined the paternity of over 1,700 father-son pairs to determine whether the fathers were really the fathers.
Who won? The Dogons who followed their traditional ways. Muslims had more bastards, and the Catholics? Off the charts!
Why?
Menstra-Huts!
There ya go, Brothers. Some of you may think you're being all "modern" and "moving with the times" by turning that old Menstra-Hut in the backyard into a potting shed, and letting your wife and daughters stay in the house, free to roam about as they wish. But all you're doing is inviting them to not inform you exactly when their "time" is over, and practically begging for a stranger to plant his seed in your field! 
Beverly Strassman (University of Michigan) and colleagues have been studying the Dogon of Mali in West Africa, who practice a range of different religions. Most of them hold on to their traditional beliefs, some are Muslim, and increasing numbers have been converted to Christianity.
They examined the paternity of over 1,700 father-son pairs to determine whether the fathers were really the fathers.
Who won? The Dogons who followed their traditional ways. Muslims had more bastards, and the Catholics? Off the charts!
Why?
Menstra-Huts!
Strassman looked into several possible explanations (polygamy, poverty etc) but the one that stood out was a particular cultural practice that marks out traditional Dogon culture: menstrual huts.
Dogon women have high fertility. Typically they are either pregnant or lactating, so menstruation is a rare event that is usually rapidly followed by pregnancy. Traditional Dogon culture demands that menstruating women relocate to special huts, close to where the men of a single patrilineage live. It’s an effective way to control the reproductive options for these women.
Dogon Muslims have abandoned these huts, but Muslim women must notify their husbands and are not allowed to pray. So they clearly signal their fertility.
Christians Catholics don’t have any such safeguards, which likely explains their higher rates of cuckoldry.
Dogon women have high fertility. Typically they are either pregnant or lactating, so menstruation is a rare event that is usually rapidly followed by pregnancy. Traditional Dogon culture demands that menstruating women relocate to special huts, close to where the men of a single patrilineage live. It’s an effective way to control the reproductive options for these women.
Dogon Muslims have abandoned these huts, but Muslim women must notify their husbands and are not allowed to pray. So they clearly signal their fertility.
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