In addition to society’s changing views of the role men play in relation to childcare, social scientists also found that the presence of the father in the home can contribute to lower juvenile crime rates, a decrease in child poverty, and lower rates of teenage pregnancy. Differences in parenting styles between men and women are also believed to contribute to children’s ability to understand and communicate emotions in different ways. The research supports the claim that the absence of a father in the family is the single biggest problem in modern society.

With his high G.P.A., nearly perfect SAT score and activities — debate team, tennis captain and state orchestra — Mr. Jia believes he should have had a fair shot at Harvard, Princeton, Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania. However, those Ivy League colleges rejected him after he applied in the fall of 2015. 

It was particularly disturbing, Mr. Jia said, when classmates with lower scores than his — but who were not Asian-American, like him — were admitted to those Ivy League institutions. 

“My gut reaction was that I was super disillusioned by how the whole system was set up,” Mr. Jia, said. 

Students like Mr. Jia are now the subject of a lawsuit accusing Harvard of discriminating against Asian-Americans in admissions by imposing a penalty for their high achievement and giving preferences to other racial minorities.