Children labour in the Victorian era Today’s childhood is much better than the one children in the Victorian era had. If you wonder why, that’s because they had to work to help their families even at the age of 5 years old. Because they were considered cheap labor Victorian children were in high demand for many types of jobs including mining, factory work, street sweepers, clothing and hat makers, chimney sweeps, farming, textile mills, servants, and sadly, prostitution.