An improved row divider (28) for a corn head assembly of a combine harvester (1) is disclosed. The row divider (28) includes opposing non-vertical sidewalls (40) that taper inwardly to define a narrow bottom. The non-vertical sidewalls (40) may be planar, concave or convex. The sloping surfaces of the sidewalls (40) result in less severe bending and shearing of corn stalks (211) that are misaligned with respect to the row divider (28) as the combine harvester (1) traverses a corn field, thereby increasing crop yield.