Abstract：Carework, as a form of intimate labor, involves much emotional
labor as well as bodywork. Based on ethnographic research in two nursing
homes，this paper describes care practices，affective experiences，and daily interactions around the sexual/gendered bodies. Body work often violates the norms of the management of the body and raises shame and dirtiness. Through several strategies of boundary work，the care workers manage the boundary between“sexual/gendered body”and the“working body”，establishing their own professional scripts of caregiving. However，these boundaries can be challenged and dissolved in long-term daily interactions，accompanied by a flux of disgust，astonishment and joy. The intersections of sexuality，gender and aging，disability shape the intimacy between care workers and the elderly，expanding our understanding beyond the dominant normative discourses of gender and sexuality.
