Says “Rather than merging gender roles, females and males should transcend gender role characteristics.” This statement refers to a scientific response to androgyny known as gender role transcendence, which is the idea that when an individual's competence is at stake, it should be conceptualized on an individual basis rather than on the basis of masculinity, femininity. , or androgyny (qtd. in Santrock 182-183). Santrock explains the view of gender role critics by saying that gender role transcendence explores the idea that parents should raise their children to be competent people rather than trying to make them fit into any of the three roles, and that the classification of gender roles encourages stereotypes