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ABSTRACT This conceptual article develops a bioecological framework to explain how multiple forms of support shape mothers' transitions from pregnancy through maternity leave and workforce reintegration. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner's Process–Person–Context–Time (PPCT) model, the framework reconceptualizes emotional, instrumental, informational, appraisal, social, and structural supports as proximal processes that operate across micro‐, meso‐, exo‐, and macrosystems. By specifying how these supports evolve through the chronosystem's temporal phases, the model advances family theory by linking ecological systems to maternal adaptation and labor force retention. This integrative framework offers new directions for research and policy on maternal well‐being, family dynamics, and gendered work–family transitions.
Letícia Barbano (Mon,) studied this question.