Compared to male scallops, female scallops are sweeter and richer in flavor, adding a more delicate quality to a final dish than you'd get through male scallops alone.
They are easy to spot with a pinkish-orange color as opposed to male scallops which are pale. Interestingly, the part that we eat and see for sale is the scallop's adductor muscle.
During egg production, females release carotenoid pigment that spreads through the mollusk, with excess diverted to its adductor muscle, resulting in a taste and color difference.