We examine the relationship between height and reproductive success (RS) in women
from a natural fertility population in the Gambia. We observe the predicted trade-off
between adult height and age at first birth: women who are tall in adulthood have later first
births than short women do. However, tall women have reproductive advantages during the
rest of their reproductive careers, primarily in the lower mortality rates of their children. This
ultimately leads to higher fitness for taller women, despite their delayed start to reproduction.
The higher RS of tall women appears to be entirely due to the physiological benefits of being
tall. There is no evidence that female height is related to patterns of marriage or divorce in
this population.