What Motivated Women to Work in the Mills?

So what motivated women to work in the Lowell mills anyway? The working conditions were sub par, the pay was mostly consumed by housing and food. But still many women worked at these factories.  These factories were a way for the girls and women to contribute to the income of the family and help them pay the bills.  In addition they brought a sense of freedom and independence to the women who otherwise had very few rights in these times if not related to a man somehow be that by blood or marriage.  Working in the mills was one of the few ways a woman could be on her own.  Knowing she was contributing to her family and this feeling of independence must have been very appealing to these women because they put up with a lot of other downsides for that. the food was mediocre, the hours were long, and the working conditions were poor but the women kept on working day after day.