Zandalari once had extremely strict views on gender, but Rastakhan in his youth, was a lot like his daughter is today, looking at laws and customs that don’t help their people, that aren’t commanded by the Loa (also I headcanon the Loa don’t care what people do about genitalia, as long as they’re worshiped the way they say), and standing hard against them no matter who stands in his way. Being centuries ago, back when he ascended to the throne, the backlash and likely rebellion that resulted, quieted down. Mainly to give the guy some kind of victory as king, since we sure as hell saw him at his worst. As time progressed, and he became the only Troll still alive to remember, he slowly adjusted the histories, first with his own reign, and then with previous reigns, choosing to make Zandalar look better than the world, than the lesser tribes, rather than merely himself look better than Zandalar. The result, while still not quite egalitarian by our standards, was still improved, woman being judged for ability (on pain of death for any other kind of judgement) on where their caste lay. There is still an expectation of remaining in one’s own gender roles, which are largely cosmetic in practicality, but still present.
On a related note with the Zandalari, I imagine a not insignificant aspect of the White Widow’s small revolt at Talanji’s coronation managing to rile people up like that, was their enemy to the north, being a matriarchy (probably originally a response to pre-rastakhan laws). Talanji rising to the throne as a powerful spellcaster woman, following a Loa in Nazmir whose power is dark and scary and people don’t like discussing, was likely highly disturbing enough to make it all the easier for the White Widow’s power. Also, this connection, even before the switch from Rezan to Bwonsamdi, may be why she dresses so conservatively. The Blood Troll matriarchs dress incredibly revealing, so by her own evaluation, especially with her focus on their activity, the best thing for the empire would be to show a clear distinction between her and the northern matriarchs, being the heir.
In non-troll headcanons, I picture the Vulpera as having a rich history, having had their own king, longstanding settlements of their own. But the battle between Sethraliss and Mythrax not only buried their settlements and records beneath the sands, but because of how sedentary they were, it nearly wiped them out in the process, trying everything they could to hold what they have, and it nearly destroyed them to the last. The surviving Vulpera, started the caravan system in order to make sure no one battle could destroy their people, that no one shelter, protected all of them. While tales of that time became distorted into stories of other people in an oral tradition started by people who were too traumatized to talk much of what they lost, if you listen by their fires to stories of the past, you’ll hear things no Zandalari record says of their own people, anywhere. The work of their ancestors, shining through from a past buried beneath their feet.