Yeah - though I like the parenthood arcs (as I'm in a differnt slice of life than you), I do suspect Bujold rather of stacking the deck on Barryar's (the planet, that is) history and sociology so that it's basically inconceivable for anyone on that planet not to have a moral imperative towards reproduction.
Now, Beta Colony, I could see how it might produce people like Cordelia (who chafe against the reproduction limits) but yes, it would be nice to see the flip side of that-- you'd think it would also give rise to a lot of people who find satisfaction in other pursuits, which never even gets mentioned except for the off-screen evil promotion-hungry Cordelia-ex-lover who lied about children!
On the other hand... Elli Quinn doesn't seem to be at all interested in parenthood, right? She's pretty awesome. And it makes sense for her to have a very different outlook on this than your average maniacal Vor, the same way that a US educated woman will have a very different outlook on this than, oh, my equally-educated Korean relatives.
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Now, Beta Colony, I could see how it might produce people like Cordelia (who chafe against the reproduction limits) but yes, it would be nice to see the flip side of that-- you'd think it would also give rise to a lot of people who find satisfaction in other pursuits, which never even gets mentioned except for the off-screen evil promotion-hungry Cordelia-ex-lover who lied about children!
On the other hand... Elli Quinn doesn't seem to be at all interested in parenthood, right? She's pretty awesome. And it makes sense for her to have a very different outlook on this than your average maniacal Vor, the same way that a US educated woman will have a very different outlook on this than, oh, my equally-educated Korean relatives.