Male Plumage

We were out riding bikes yesterday when I spotted what looked like a pile of garbage down the side of the canal bank.  I realized that it was a female duck sitting on her nest.  It made me think about how people carry on about how beautiful male birds are & how the females are plain, drab or ugly.  Here's what I have to say to that: smoke & mirrors.  Essentially, the females have the difficult job, which precludes beautiful plumage.  It's a detriment & could get them killed.  Not that I state something that's new or not obvious.  But, that's all the male birds have to offer--besides sperm and maybe some protection, but not always.  The females have to pick a location, make a nest, warm the egg & see the whole thing through.  Maybe the male sticks around, maybe not.  In most cases, he's a glorified sperm donor.  In the best case scenarios, protector, partner and mate.  So if that's the case with male plumage and birds, what about the sassy female numbers of the homo sapiens who augment, primp and preen?  What, exactly, is their role?  (Can you tell that I made a trip out to Scottsdale yesterday, in addition to the bike ride along the canal?--a night jaunt, no less.)