Sentence Structure
'These questions are political in the sense that the debate over them will inevitably be less an exploration of abstract matters in a spirit of disinterested inquiry than an academic power struggle in which the careers and professional fortunes of many women scholars--only now entering the academic profession in substantial numbers--will be at stake, and with 'them' the chances for a distinctive contribution to humanistic understanding, a contribution that might be an important influence against sexism in our society. 'In the sentence, 'them' which I quoted to hightlight, refers to what? How to judge whether it refers to 'women' or to 'fortunes'?

Question

Answer

I think it is 'careers and fortunes'. 
To me, the primary intention of that writing style is to impress, and secondarily to convey information...

Answer

In the passage, the highlighted "them" refers to "the careers and professional fortunes."  This phrase is the subject of the previous subordinate clause, so this is what "will be at stake."  The phrase "and with them" means that what follows will also be at stake, ie "the chances...".

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