some say it's a man's world, but women actually make most purchasing and entertainment decisions,according to a study by market research firm NPD. It's long been accepted that women pick out most of the clothes for the family and decide on home furnishings, but this study of 51,000 U.S. households showed some surprising facets of purchasing decisions broken down by gender. Men defer to women when it comes to choosing movies, restaurants and television shows, according to the survey. The data indicated that women also decide where to sit in a movie theatre, where to shop for food and which guests come to the family home. In fact, the only areas where men had any clout involved personal electronics purchases, the family car and setting household budgets. The gender differences in purchasing could have implications for advertising, media and education companies, said NPD chief analyst Marshal Cohen, who spearheaded the research."Any who's managing a brand, marketing a product of working for an advertising agency needs to be conscientious in the shifts in consumer dynamics," Cohen said.