请教一句长难句

888b8bUID: 3806962

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 humanitic understanding, a contribution that might be an important influence against sexism in our society.

请问这个them指代的是谁？

HolypacUID: 3703518

many women scholars