What does the novel Lyddie reveal about the lives of the "factory girls" at the textile mills in Massachusetts?

Kate Paterson's novel reveals that although "factory girls" at the Lowell, Massachusetts, textile mills could earn enough money to dress well and worked shorter days than household or tavern servants, they still endured very difficult working conditions, were at the mercy of factory owners and management, and could suffer grave and even deadly illnesses. At the factory where Lyddie works, and in the other factories in town as well, girls put in 12-hour days. They went to work before breakfast, came back to the boarding house to eat, and then returned to the factory, often working until after the sun went down. In addition, the air in the factory was thick with fibers; girls inhaled these strands and could develop severe coughs and lung conditions that could turn deadly. Girls often had to leave factory work after a year or two because of the health hazards. Long hours and poor air quality were not the only dangers. The unsanitary practice known as the "kiss of death" allowed spreading of disease because girls put their mouths on a part of the machine. This is probably what resulted in Lyddie contracting a life-threatening fever. Working with the machinery could also result in injuries; Lyddie received a hard blow to the head when she was hit by part of the loom, and "one of the little Irish girls in the spinning room had caught her hair in the machinery and was badly hurt."

The factories had all the power over the workers, and the workers were powerless. The factories could speed up the machinery and cut wages with impunity. Workers either put up with the changes or quit. Betsy explains that "our real wages have gone down more often than they've gone up." Many girls couldn't keep up with the pace when the machines got faster and left the factory. The factories made sure the girls knew that "if you can't do the work ... there's many a girl who can and will." They took advantage of Irish immigrants who would work for low wages and put up with poor conditions while living in slums. 

The management of the factory could fire a girl for a concocted reason, and if they failed to provide a letter of recommendation, no other factory in town would hire the girl. A male supervisor could take advantage of a young girl, and if she accused him or fought back, she could be fired, which happens to Lyddie. If girls were known to support the ten-hour day petition, they could be fired and blacklisted. 

Although the factories provided the opportunity to make more money than women could make in many other positions, they nevertheless were demanding, at times demeaning, and even dangerous places for young women to work. 

Outside their working hours, the factory girls often lived in boarding houses where they ate their meals and socialized in the evenings. Some girls used their free time to read and study or have their heads "read" by phrenologists. They were required to attend church services on Sundays.