A bit of lore as to why meridia have male and female, when males aren't necessary for the continuation of the species;
The species was designed in a very misogynistic time, and the commissioners insisted on having the warriors and the seed bearers be separated by gender. Ambassador was supposed to not even let the females be as tough or strong, but she disobeyed her higher ups and made both sexes as strong as she could. Later, when the meridia were granted freedom from service to Liba and began living in their own communities, the culture they built had almost no traditional gender roles at all, and those with the Gift (the ability to produce young) were treated with respect for their power. This may partially stem from the fact that all meridia are aro/ace.
Modern meridia are a little closer to society in their beliefs, but many try and stick close to their predecessors ways. Queerplatonic relationships are extremely common in modern meridian society. Children didn't actually need anyone to raise them, but the concept of parenthood fascinated them and now most meridia grow up with anywhere from one to dozens of parental figures.
That's my take on this all for now. I don't think the lore will change, and I kinda hope not =3