Taking my part in the debate. Frankly, my opinion is “why should we even care about such things?”
In my dreamed A.C. game, this debate should not even exist (save with yourself).
Well, ok, there’s a need to expand quite a bit.
Though don’t say after that I’m far too talkative 
I referred elsewhere about a feature that I hope may be implemented in the game: decisions, that would allow to shape your society.
The final aim would not to create totally unrealistic societies (or only at a heavy cost), neither to raildroad the society shaping given what we know (or think to know) about later societies, like Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece or Rome, and basta! out of this railroad nothing should be possible.
After all, it seems everything possible has been attempted all over the world, whether in the field of politics, of economy, of justice, of society, etc.
Because there are two other things, after a decision is taken, that should shape your society:
- Traditions: once a decision is taken, if everybody commonly agree that was the best decision, with time there is high chances this is cast in stone. In the case some members in the tribe frown upon such traditions, then appears one more thing:
- Politics: after all, politics is the very idea of debate to impose his view on the society and change it (either that debate is open to everybody or allowed for some happy few only).
So, let’s take one simple example: imagine your society is randomly created with a tradition forbidding the women to hunt. Because they’re weak, they need to be protected, because they have children to take care of, and whatever argument you may have to add in the list.
But arise the case of a women that’d real good at hunting. May she be allowed to go with a hunting party leaving the village for a few moons?
As the ruler or éminence grise, the player is asked what’s his opinion:
- “Yes, she should be allowed to go with the men!”
- No, she needs to take care of the nippers!"
Whatever your decision, the society may approve (then the decision becomes a tradition, after one or two or four generations). Everything’s perfect in a perfect world, and women (don’t) use to go hunting with men.
In the other case, let’s say 30% of the tribe members disapprove:
- Either they get progressively convinced, because traditions are traditions, because they see the benefit of the situation, because they’re always less numerous in the tribe, etc.
- Or they grow in numbers: they still disapprove the decision/tradition, they manage to convince more members, they receive the support of recent immigrants that disapprove also this strange/unfair/shocking tradition, etc. Then they may act to have this tradition changed, and another decision may be taken, reverting the first one.
So, let’s see things in the large picture now: at the end of the Neolithic era (a.k.a. at the end of the released version of the game) you may have a society that may be totally different from the surrounding villages, or that is conform to the general trend on the strategic map – because that’s easier to trade with people sharing some common views on female role, religion, power in the society, etc.
Whenever the Bronze Age DLC is release, the same situation would be quite simply resolved: in that era, the power of the kings ruling from their palace managed to impose a general view. So either your village accept the common/king’s view, or he has to deal with the power, which may accept or not the situation in your town (then heavy tribute, or rebellions if you’re yourself the king and try to impose your view, or traditionnalists may revolt in your town or in the subject towns, etc.).
As a conclusion: I guess those decisions would allow a very high replayabillity, while keeping historicity and allowing very different strategies, while granting an interesting RPG-side.
And as a conclusion to the conclusion: we could imagine a very great bunch of such decisions: burials, justice, government form, ownership, etc.
Related to gender, this would allow to take decisions about homosexuality (may it be tolerated, like most ancient societies did?); or about gay mariage (surely your Bronze Age overlord or subjects would not allow that!); or women being granted the right to become warriors or soldiers in the army; or to even leave the house, etc.
Sure, this would need a bit of scripting, but other games show that the processing power needed would be far less important than a whole 3D map as shown in the screenshots.